Igneel's Gate
by TheSeasChild
Summary: When Natsu is cursed by the Magic Council to be a child, the only way to break the spell is to find Igneel's gate key and summon him. But to find they key, Lucy has to journey to Sin, where criminals are banished, and make it back out alive. With only a flying cat, a dragon slayer with no powers and an S-Class mage from Blue Pegasus, will Lucy find Igneel's key? Eventual NaLu.
1. Countdown

_Chapter 1: Countdown_

_This is the tale of how Natsu Dragneel, adoptive son of the mighty, fire breathing dragon Igneel, became imprisoned in the body of his 8 year old self at the age of 19, along with the other dragon slayers around Fiore.  
It all started on the 29th of February, in the year X792. The Fairy Tail Guild was causing a ruckus as per usual, and Master Makarov was receiving letters from the Magic Council daily questioning his right to lead the Guild since he was 'obviously' unable to control them. That day was not unlike any other.  
That was until the Master opened, and read, his daily letter to the entire Guild.  
__  
_

* * *

Lucy gave out a strangled scream as she watched the heavy wooden chair come hurtling towards her from Gray's hands.  
_Sure_, the chair _w____as __o_riginally meant for Natsu, but since he decided to dodge, Lucy was on the receiving end of the attack.  
But before the wooden frame could come anywhere close enough to cause any damage, the fire mage had grabbed it from mid air, and had incinerated it, reducing it to a pile of ash that settled on the floor.  
"Dammit Gray!" He yelled, his eyes blazing. "You almost hit Lucy!"  
The Ice-Make Mage simply shrugged, a smirk plastered over his face. "Yeah? And why would it matter to you, flame brain?"  
"Why wouldn't it matter, droopy eyes?" He retorted.  
"Pyro!"  
"Popsicle!"  
"Slanty eyes!"  
"Ice boy!"  
"_DON'T CALL ME THAT!_"  
And so Gray lurched forward, connecting his fist with Natsu's jaw, and initiating yet _a____nother _brawl between the pair. Lucy groaned from her position at the bar, rotating her body to face Mira who simply laughed.  
"Oh Lucy, when are you going to get used to those two fighting?" She smiled motherly.  
"Let me think..." Lucy said, drumming her fingers against her cheek. "Never."  
The girls laughed together, both going through their memories of the boys subconsciously.  
"I remember Natsu and Gray when they were kids," Mira started, grabbing Lucy from her imagination. "Just the same as they are today, well, except maybe cuter."  
Lucy raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder at the boys. "___Natsu?__" S_he said incredulously. "___Cute? _Mira, I think you've got your wires crossed."  
"Oh no," The barmaid smiled again. "They were both adorable kids, and it seems fate was kind to them, I mean, look at them now."  
Lucy returned her gaze to the She-Demon. "What's that supposed to mean."  
"I think you know, Lucy," She smirked, flashing the Celestial Wizard a quick wink. "You don't have to be in love with someone to acknowledge their beauty - although it helps."  
Lucy blushed. "And what's _t____hat__ s_upposed to mean?"  
Mira laughed again. "Nothing-"  
Just then, the Master coughed loudly from beside them, interrupting her words. Instantly, the Guild stilled, and the old man stood, barely clearing Mira's height as he waved the envelope he held in his fist over his head.

"All right, listen up you brats!" He began, his eyes scanning the audience that had gathered before him. "I've been getting letters from the Magic Council daily now, all about you, so I'm gonna read you what they write – ___everyday__._"  
"Oh God," Lucy muttered, earning a small laugh from Mirajane.  
"___Dear Master Makarov Dreyar of Fairy Tail,_"  
"What is this crap?" Someone called from the back of the room.  
"___The Magic Council has received many letters from the residents of Magnolia, complaining of the noise and destruction the Fairy Tail Guild has caused over the course of the past 6 months. These letters have not gone unnoticed, and so we write to you now to demand a change of nature within your Guild-__"  
_A collective laugh rang through the hall.  
"___Your actions must be compensated by either using your force to rebuild all destruction, or by paying back all of the citizens affected. You have until the clock strikes 12 on February 29th to repay, or the Magic Council will be forced to take action against your strongest wizards,  
Yours Sincerely,  
The Magic Council.__"  
_Suddenly, the cathedral clock began to ring out to the city.

* * *

___One,  
_The Guild began to laugh, Makarov falling from the bars counter as he doubled over.

* * *

___Two,  
_Lucy locked eyes with Mira.

* * *

___Three,  
_Slowly, she raised 3 of her fingers.

* * *

___Four,  
_Lucy returned her gaze to the Guild, who were all doubled over with laughter, even young Asuka.

* * *

___Five,__  
_Then her gaze fell on Natsu, who had already started throwing punches Gray

* * *

___Six,  
Your strongest wizards.  
_

* * *

___Seven,  
_Lucy began to get paranoid - and a little scared, if she allowed herself to admit it.

* * *

___Eight,  
_She turned back to Mira. "What if what they're saying is true?"

* * *

___Nine,  
_"I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

___Ten,  
_Together, the two female Mages sat in silence, their eyes scanning the room for anything unnatural.

* * *

___Eleven.  
_"You ready?"  
Lucy took a deep breath.  
"As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

___Twelve.  
_

* * *

Once again, their eyes skittered across the room, searching everyone's faces and bodies for anything weirder than normal.  
___Nothing.  
_Lucy let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "They're okay."  
Suddenly, a tan arm draped itself around her shoulder, making her jump. "Who's okay?"  
"Oh my God, Natsu," Lucy breathed, removing the arm from around her and turning to face the pink haired Dragon Slayer. "It's just you."  
Natsu took a step backwards, giving Lucy some breathing room. "So who's okay? Wait a second... did you actually believe the Council's warning?"  
Lucy blushed, and began to stutter. "Yes - No - Maybe - Who cares! What if they did take action, where would you be?"  
"Where would I be? Here of course!"  
"No you wouldn't. The Council said they'd take action against Fairy Tail's strongest wizards, and you're one of them. AndIwasalittleworriedokay?"  
Natsu cocked his head to one side. "Huh?"  
"Nothing."  
"No, what did you say?"  
"It was nothing, okay?"  
"It was something, or else you wouldn't've said it, now what did you say?"  
Lucy groaned, her cheeks tinted pink. "I said I was a little worried, okay? You happy now."  
"No, that's Happy." The Dragon Slayer laughed, pointing to his blue Exceed friend, who was perched next to Carla, teasing the blonde.  
"You know what I mean."  
Natsu shrugged, and Mirajane laughed from behind them. "You two are so cute."  
The two friends looked at each other out the corners of their eyes before speaking in unison. "Huh?"  
"You two are cute, that's all." The She Demon smiled, causing both their cheeks to pinken.  
"Uh, should I say thanks or-"  
Lucy hit the pinkett's arm, harder than she would if she was being playful, lighter than if she was being serious. "Natsu!"  
He raised an eyebrow. "_What?____ Oh. __Sorry_."  
The blonde rolled her brown eyes. "Ugh, you are so annoying sometimes-"  
"Sometimes? That's an improvement."  
Behind them, Mira snickered.  
"That's it!" Lucy cried, flinging her arms in the air. "I'm going home!"  
Natsu groaned. "Awww, can't you stay a little longer?"  
"No, anyway, I've been getting behind with my story, and I need to write the next chapter before I ditch the idea completely."  
The Dragon Slayer Threw himself down on the stool next to Lucy, pouting, and crossing his arms with a rather - ___Lucy dared to think it_- cute little '___hmph'. _"Spoilsport." He muttered.  
The blonde leant forward, tilting her head in his direction so that she could look him in the eye. "And what am I spoiling?"  
When he didn't answer, Lucy smirked and pushed herself up off the stool. With a quick wave goodbye to Mirajane, she made her way out of the Guild, ducking as yet another chair flew overhead and made impact with some poor soul across the room, and wove her way through the crowded main streets of Magnolia.

* * *

"There, all done!" Lucy smiled as she admired her - ___finally_- finished chapter.  
She placed her pen down onto her desk and began to stretch out her cramped hand, first flicking her fingers out one by one, then clenching her hand into a fist and then relaxing. When she was half way through de-cramping her left hand, a knock rang through her apartment, the sound coming from her front door. Instantly, an image of Natsu popped into her head, but she dismissed the thought, knowing that if it were him, he'd enter through her window - much to her annoyance.  
"One minute!" She called out, finishing stretching her left hand and pushing herself away from her desk to make her way over to the door.  
With a deep breath, the mage unlocked her door, only to find an empty corridor. She raised an eyebrow, and craned her head around the frame. "Hello, is anyone-"  
"Down here!"  
Lucy lowered her gaze, and almost ___fell _backwards as she tried to comprehend what she saw. A young boy stood before her, his clothes dwarfing him in size, and the most unnerving thing; he had ___pink hair.  
_Lucy remembered to breathe. "N-Natsu?"  
The young boy pouted and nodded.  
"How?" She stuttered, shakily extending her hand and motioning to his entire body.  
"Don't ask me!" He squeaked, throwing his arms wide, and releasing his hold on his trousers. "That's why I came to you!"  
"Natsu!" Lucy yelled as his bottoms dropped to the ground. "Pull up your trousers!"  
The young Dragon Slayer quickly did as he was told, and looked back up to the Celestial Mage, his eyes pleading.  
"Fine," Lucy sighed. "Come in."  
She held the door open as Natsu waddled into her home, settling himself down on her sofa, his legs spread wide as his clothes sagged around him. Lucy shook her head and closed the door behind her as she turned around and walked over to where the young boy sat.  
"Let me ask you again," She said gently, crouching down to match his eye line. "Do you know how this happened? If not, where did it happen."  
Suddenly, the pinkett's eyebrows creased, "You can stand up y'know."  
Lucy's eyebrows shot up her face as she stood up. "Fine, but answer my questions."  
"Well, you already know the answer to one - I don't know how it happened, but when I was walking home a while ago, suddenly, I began to shrink and - here I am."  
"So you're saying you've just shrunk?"  
"Nope. It's like Ultear has used her magic on my or something. I mean, I still feel the same, I'm just-"  
"Different in body?"  
Natsu began to nod furiously, his messy flying around like crazy. "Yup"  
"And random question; Do you actually have any clothes-"  
"Yup."  
"-That___fit __y_ou."  
"Nope."  
Lucy placed her head in her hands. "Fine, fine! I'll see if I can get Virgo to help."  
The mage walked over to her desk where her pouch of Celestial keys were sat, and grabbed Virgo's gate key. With a quick flick of the wrist, she summoned the spirit.  
"Time for my punishment, Princess?" The purple haired maid asked as she appeared from the Spirit World.  
"Not now, Virgo, but can I ask you something?"  
"Anything, Princess."  
"Do you think you could get me some clothes for Natsu - I know it's weird but-"  
"No problem." Virgo said, and after a moment, she vanished, but soon she reappeared, but this time, a pile of brightly coloured, neatly folded fabric slung over her left arm. "Will this do, Princess?"  
Lucy strode forward and gingerly picked up an item, holding it out in front of her to examine it.  
"Oi, Natsu, get over here and try this stuff on - you can use my bathroom if you-"  
Immediately, Natsu shuffled out of his baggy clothes and grabbed the fabric from Virgo, who simply observed the scene before her unfold in silence.  
"Dammit, Natsu, I wasn't asking you, I was telling you!" Lucy cried as the young child began to don his newly acquired garments.  
"Why?" He whined, his head poking through the wrong hole of the shirt he was dressing into to.  
As well as his appearance de-aging, Lucy noted, his basic skills had also, meaning that he could barely dress himself. Lucy pondered if he could write and/or write at this age.  
"'Cos I don't wanna see you naked!"  
"Then don't look!"  
"This is my house!"  
"You're the one who let me in!"  
"Virgo!" Lucy screamed, her fuse slowly ticking. "Get Natsu into the bathroom and help him change!"  
The spirit simply bowed. "As you wish, Princess."  
Before any of them could say another word, Virgo had already ushered – well, _s____hoved__ - t_he young Dragon Slayer into Lucy's bathroom, and through the closed door, Lucy was guessing she was helping him dress, due to the defiant yells that echoed through her apartment. Slowly the cries died out, and Virgo pushed Natsu into the main room. Lucy smirked and crossed her arms across her chest as he looked at her.  
"You done having your tantrum yet?"  
"You started it!" He whined, glaring at the mage.  
Even at a young age, Lucy felt intimidated by Natsu's glare - and she knew, if looks could kill, she'd be six feet under. Finally, the Dragon Slayer looked out the window.  
"Crap!" He yelled. "What's the time, Luce?"  
Lucy followed his gaze, and gasped as the light sky that had been present as Natsu had came in, had been replaced by the one of night. Quickly, the blonde girl glanced at the clock.  
"10 o'clock." She read.  
"___10? _I got here at 7! And I told Happy I'd be home at 8."  
"Natsu, you are _n____ot _going out there this late!"  
"But I need to get home!"  
"I forbid it!" Lucy growled, suddenly protective. "I am not letting you go out there all alone when it's dark, okay?"  
"I'll be fine!"  
"You are in the body of your 8 year old self, Dragneel," She snapped.  
Natsu shoved his thumb into his chest. "I'm a Dragon Slayer - I can protect myself."  
Suddenly, he darted past Lucy and climbed atop her bed, wrenching open her window and sitting on the freshly painted windowsill. Before he could jump down though, Lucy had her arms wrapped around him, and was dragging him back into her home.  
"No, you'll hurt yourself!"  
"But Happy's gonna be worried about me."  
"I know, I know, but you'll be fine here, and - and I'll let you have my bed if you promise not to go outside whilst it's dark."  
This got the boy's attention. "And where will you sleep?" He asked her, cocking his head to one side in suspicion.  
Lucy tossed her thumb over her shoulder. "The couch."  
Then Natsu flashed his grin, which seemed unchanged by his de-aging. "Fine!"  
Lucy sighed in relief and watched as the young boy threw himself backwards onto the bed, instantly curling himself up in the pink sheets and snoring away happily. She smiled to herself and turned away, gently picking up Natsu's regular clothes and folding them neatly in a pile on her desk. She then picked up his scarf and made her way back to her bed, placing the white, scaly fabric over him gently, and watching him react to its presence by snuggling into it and holding it like a lifeline. And Lucy couldn't help but notice what Mira had said earlier was true - Natsu was in fact kinda cute as a kid, though she would never let him know that.  
___For once it was me who initiated the sleepover, _She thought to herself as she snuggled down into her couch, trying to get comfy amidst the lumps and bumps. ___Well, I just hope I can find a way to turn him back to normal before too long.  
_Then, her eyes drooped closed, and she was asleep.


	2. Research

Chapter 2: Research

Lucy tossed in her sleep. With Natsu sleeping on her bed, and she on her couch, the night had been restless for both of them - her never truly sleeping, and the young boy crying out in his sleep for his father every hour or so; a sound which broke the mage's heart every time.

"Luuuuuuuuucy," A voice squeaked from above her, like an annoying fly.  
"Buzz off," She mumbled, curling in on herself.  
"Luuuuuuuuuuucy," The voice came again, this time her name followed promptly by a bunch of childish giggles, causing the girl in question to moan in annoyance.  
"LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCY!"  
This time, Lucy bolted up, bashing her head against something hard as she did so, and hearing a loud thwack not a moment after.  
"Ow," Natsu groaned, running his hands through his pink hair and rubbing his sore head. "I just wanted you to wake up, no need to attack me."  
"I didn't attack you, you brat!" Lucy yelled indignantly, rotating her torso to glare at the boy. "You got in my way."  
"No I didn't!"  
"Yes, you did!"  
"Didn't!"  
"Did!"  
_"Didn't!"_  
_"Did!"_  
_"Didn't!"_  
"I don't have time for this!"  
"Then you shouldn't've attacked me."  
"Do you want breakfast or not, squirt?" Lucy demanded, and the effect of her words was immediate - Natsu cowered backwards, his arms crossing as he pouted. Lucy smirked. "Thought so."  
She swiveled herself off of the sofa and made her way into the kitchen, Natsu hot on her heels as she gathered a pair of bowls, a box of her favourite cereal, a cartoon of milk and two spoons and laid them out of the marble sides. She poured a portion of the cereal flakes into her china bowl and moved onto Natsu's, deciding to give him a regular fully grown males amount, due to the fact that she thought even a younger Natsu would eat more than a buffalo. Finally, after an earful from the pinkett, Lucy moved back into the main room and placed the bowls on the floor, keeping them well out of reach from the Dragon Slayer until his butt was firmly planted to the carpet.  
"You done fidgeting yet?" Lucy sighed as she watched the boy shake around and drag his butt along the carpet, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a dog.  
"I'm not fidgeting," He grumbled, squeezing his face. "I have an itchy butt."  
"NATSU, THAT IS DISGUSTING!" She screamed, reeling backwards. "Just because you're in the body of your 8 year old self does not give you the liberty to rub your butt all over my carpet. Now stop already!"  
Lucy shoved the bowl towards Natsu, grimacing as some of the milk inside splashed over the sides, but before she could complain, he had already began to dig in, his spoon travelling from the bowl to his mouth in lightning quick time. She watched him devour his meal in awe. After about a minute, he burped loudly, and fell backwards, yanking his orange t-shirt upwards and clutching his stomach. He stayed like that more another two minutes before Lucy began to worry at his inactivity.  
"Natsu, are you okay?" She whispered, crawling forwards and leaning over him.  
In return, he groaned, and burped in her face.  
"Dammit, Natsu!" She screeched, flailing backwards as she desperately grabbed at her nose to avoid the stench.  
That's when the Dragon Slayer released his stomach and bolted upright, laughing hysterically and screaming at the top of his small lungs. "Gotcha, gotcha!"  
"I am so gonna get you back for that." She grinned, a devilish plan forming in her mind as she watched him roll around.  
Whilst he was distracted, Lucy edged towards him, her hands slowly reaching out, her fingers uncurling like claws. When she got close enough, she pounced, her hands finding his sides as she began to tickle him, making him shriek.  
"STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!" He somehow screamed in between fits of laughter.  
"Never!"  
Lucy's tongue poked through her lips as she continued her physical assault on the boy's abdomen, dodging his fists as they came hurtling towards her. Finally, when she told herself she had tortured him enough, she slowly pulled her fingers back, and watched the colour drain from his cheeks as he sat himself back up, his arms wrapped around himself protectively. He opened one eye slightly.  
"You done yet?" He growled, his regular, deeper voice returning, and sending Lucy falling backwards in shock. "What?"  
"Your voice is back?" She questioned, pushing herself back up.  
"What do you mean?" He said, his voice childishly high once more.  
Lucy sighed, her head hanging. "Thought not. We're gonna have to go to the Guild to sort this out, aren't we?"  
"Sort what out?"  
"Your... uh... little problem."  
"You mean - what? NO! I am not going to the Guild like this!"  
Lucy stood herself up and placed her hands on her hips as she glared down at the Dragon Slayer. "Well, unless you have any better ideas, I'm afraid it's the Guild."  
"But-"  
"No 'buts', got it? Now get up, we're leaving."  
Groaning, he stood, and followed Lucy out of the door and down the stairs, walking out in front of her as she closed the doors behind them. As soon as Lucy turned around, he raced ahead, ignoring the blonde's outraged yells for him to wait up.  
"Natsu!"  
"What?" He yelled, looking back over his shoulder and watching Lucy chase after him, her arms pumping like crazy.  
"Stop running!"  
"What?"  
"I said, stop running!"  
"Why?"  
Suddenly, the ground ran out beneath him, and Lucy watched the young Salamander tumble into the river.  
"Dammit Natsu, this is why you should listen to me!" She screamed, pulling at her hair in frustration.  
Finally, she reached the river's edge to see his fingers clutching at the stone wall, trying to pull himself back up onto dry land. Forcing back laughter, the blonde mage leant down and lifted him out of the water with some difficulty, placing her head in her hands when she realized just how ruined his spirit clothes were.  
"I'm gonna have to call Virgo again, aren't I?" She groaned, refusing to look at the sopping boy before her.  
"What for?"  
"Your clothes - they're ruined!"  
"Nope," He said, lifting his arms and staring at his outfit. "Just wet."  
"Exactly!"  
Finally, Lucy looked back at Natsu and felt her lips thinning into a line when she found him bone dry.  
"I forgot about that." She stated simply, and started on down the street, grabbing Natsu by the wrist behind her to stop him from having any more little accidents. "Now, you better stay by my side until we get to the Guild or there will be Hell to pay Natsu."

* * *

Lucy felt Natsu tug against her iron grip on his wrist as Fairy Tail came into view just on the crest of the hill before them. She knew just how much he wanted to get there - even if he _was _8 - but she was _not _gonna let go of him so easily - who knew what havoc he would wreck if she did?

"Natsu." She snapped, sending a deadly, Erza-like glare in his direction.  
Instead of shrinking back like she thought he would, he let his legs go out from under him and landed on the cobblestones, throwing his head back as he began to howl. "I'm tired!"  
At this, Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What?"  
"I'm tired!"  
"But-"  
"Tired!"  
"We're not going through this again Natsu, get off your lazy ass and get moving. I don't care if you're 8, you are still the son of the original Salamander."  
With a groan from both parties, the blonde managed to yank her partner up from the ground and pull him after her as she began to run forward towards the Guild. Finally, they reached the heavy wooden doors, and after taking a deep breath, she let go of Natsu's wrist and pushed them open, cringing away as they groaned with the movement. As she took her first step over the threshold, all she saw was a mass of blue curls and orange fabric come bounding towards her.  
"Lu-chan, Lu-chan!" Levy cried, thrusting a thick, yellowing book into her best friend's hands. "I just finished reading this, and it's amazing, you should totally-"  
"Now's kinda awkward for me Levy," Lucy sighed, placing the book back into the bluenette's hands sadly, who looked up at her with confusion written all over her features.  
"What do you mean? You've never turned down a book before."  
"I wish I could, honestly, I do, but right now... ugh, Natsu, get your butt in here."  
Slowly, the Dragon Slayer marched himself into the hall, his pink head hung low, trying to cover the embarrassed redness that covered his face. When he reached Lucy's side, he cocked his head slightly and hissed at her.  
"They better be able to help me Luce, or I'm not gonna live this down."  
With her head in her hands, she turned to the young Salamander. "You're never gonna live this down if they do, so stop whining, please. I had enough of that last night."  
"Wait," Levy gasped, looking between the two, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried to piece together the scene before her. "That's _Natsu?__"  
_"The one and only."  
"Why's he... y'know... little?"  
"That's why I brought him here - I don't know. Neither does he. When he came to my apartment yesterday, he was like this. I had to get Virgo to help me get him some clothes so that he didn't run around naked."  
"I wasn't gonna do that!"  
"Natsu, this is you we're talking about here - of course you were! Anyway, he stayed at mine overnight, but I still can't think of why he's like that."  
Suddenly, Levy's eyes widened, and she turned on her heel, sprinting away to the library, and returning a few minutes later with a bunch of thick volumes in her hands. She dropped the pile onto a table and waved her hand for Lucy and Natsu to come and join her. As the pair made their way over to the booth, Lucy noticed the absence of three members.  
"They're all staring at me Lucy." Natsu said - and she could swear that he sounded a little... scared.  
"Of course they are - you're not you right now." She smiled softly, ruffling his hair with her hand.  
"I don't like it."  
The Stellar Mage watched her partner as he squirmed under the stares of the Guild, only to whip around in barely concealed fury as a certain Ice Mage began to laugh hysterically.  
"Gray!" She hissed, using the glare that Erza had taught her to perfect. "Can't you see that you're making him scared?"  
This only made the shirtless male laugh harder, almost falling off his stool in the process. "Scared? Oh c'mon Lucy, are you being serious? He's still Natsu-"  
"Yeah, and he's a God damn child. Of course he'd be scared if all eyes were on him. Of course he'd be scared if someone started laughing at him. He's still Natsu, sure, but he's having to cope with being forced into a child's body and mindset, so shut your trap and save your laughter for when we sort this out."  
With a quick stamp of her boot, the blonde turned away once more and slid next to Natsu in the booth, who simply stared at her in mild surprise, She flashed him a quick, yet sincere, smile and turned her full attention to Levy, who slid her a book, and a pair of Gale Force reading glasses, identical to the pair that she had on. Together, they read through the books, and half an hour later - with much fidgeting from her young partner next to her - Lucy came across what they were looking for.  
"Levy!" She cried, snapping the blue haired bookworm from her work. "I found it!"  
"So, what is it?"  
The blonde Mage removed her borrowed glasses and began to read the extract out loud, using her finger to keep her place as she looked up every so often.  
_"__The De-aging curse,__" _She read aloud, looking up for a second before flitting her eyes back to the words before her. "_A fundamentally impossible curse to be cast by a single Mage. For the curse to have any worthwhile affect, the caster must be aided by many other strong wizards, and they must all have a confident amount of knowledge of the victim."  
_"So it's a curse?" Levy interrupted, her eyes growing wide as she took in the information.  
"Yeah. Anyway: _The full effects of the curse is unknown, since every victim has different results, but the most common is for the victim to be de-aged to the point where they were most vulnerable in their life. The curse is usually cast to punish the victim by making them suffer their traumas - whether they be mental or physical - at the worst possible point in their life. The only two known ways for the curse to be lifted is for the casters to remove the curse personally, or for the victim to find whoever or whatever caused their trauma, and to use that person/object to repair whatever has hurt them."  
_Suddenly the full realization of what that meant hit Lucy, and she placed her hands over her lips in shock. _Whoever causes their trauma.  
_Finally, Levy spoke, her brown eyes wide with shock. "So you're saying-"  
"No. It's impossible, we can't find... You Know Who."  
_Igneel. _To bring Natsu back to normal, they'd have to find Igneel. The dragon. Who abandoned - for lack of better word - Natsu when he was a child, and left him to fend on his own. _They'd have to find a dragon.  
_"But Lucy, we... we have to. We can't leave him like this."  
"But how are we gonna find Ig- it."  
Natsu, picking up on what Lucy had nearly said, widened his eyes. "So you mean-"  
"Natsu, we... we can't. You've searched for years, and you know as well as I do that..." She said, averting her gaze as she whispered that words she knew he didn't want to hear. "it's impossible."  
"No." The young Dragon Slayer coughed. "_No_. It's not impossible. We have to find Igneel. We have to find my dad."  
"Natsu, please-"  
"_NO!" _He screamed, banging his small fist on the table. "You're smart, so help me find him! Use your spirit dude who's always asleep, he knows everything, right?"  
"Natsu he only knows about Celestial Spirits and their masters, and other simple things."  
"I don't care, just try!"  
"I can't."  
"Please."  
Finally, Levy interrupted their little spat, and grabbed the child's two small flailing fists. "Natsu, listen to me carefully. Me and Lu-chan will do everything in our power to get you back. We'll try to find the wizards who did this to you, and we'll try to find Igneel, I promise. Okay? We_will _get you back to normal, or else, how do you think Lucy will live properly without you?"  
"Eh?"

"Never mind," The Solid Script mage smiled, releasing the Dragon Slayer's hands. "But seriously, we _will_find out who did this to you, okay? And we_will _search for Igneel in the mean time."  
"You promise?"  
The bluenette smiled sincerely, and nodded. "I promise."  
Slowly, the salmon haired boy turned his head to look at Lucy. "Do _you _promise?"  
"Are you really gonna ask me that Natsu?"  
He nodded, his face as serious as an eight year old's could be.  
"I thought you knew me better. You know I'll do anything to help you, just like you'd do for me, so I didn't think I needed to promise, but if it makes you feel better..."  
Lucy held out her pinkie finger, and instantly, Natsu wrapped his stubby one around it, shaking his hand up and down as he spoke. "And a Celestial Wizard never breaks her promises, right?"  
"Right."  
The smile that stretched across his face was infectious, because as soon as Lucy caught sight of it, a smile of her own pulled itself onto her face and a laugh accompanied it. But her joy was short lived as the Guild doors burst open once more, and Erza stormed through them, carrying a blue haired child in one arm, and dragging a black haired tweenager by the shoulder with the other. Instantly, Levy shot up from her seat and gasped as she recognized the pair, and signaled for Lucy to bring Natsu to join them as she ran to the bar where Erza placed the two children - well, placed the bluenette, and threw the raven haired one.  
"Erza who-"  
"Gajeel and Wendy."


	3. Movie Time (Filler Chapter)

Chapter 3: Movie Time.

Wendy's childish voice rang through the Guild as she chased after the older Dragon Slayer. "Natsu!"  
Lucy ducked her head into her palms as Erza retold her tale of finding the young girl and Gajeel – which included a lot of screaming, scratching, crying and biting, if the marks on Erza's arm and the tale she told told anything. This was going to be harder than she thought. The Magic Council really had cursed their strongest wizards – Fairy Tail's infamous Dragon Slayers, just like they had promised. Erza's voice was cut short when a loud cry cut through the air. The foursome of female's who were sat at the bar turned in lightning speed to see Wendy lying on the wooden ground in tears, Natsu rushing back over to her and trying to pick her up under her armpits, and failing rather miserably.  
"Natsu, what did you do!" Erza growled, stalking over to the blue haired toddler and picking her up into her arms, holding her close to her unamoured chest. "You have to treat Wendy carefully!"  
"I didn't do anything!" He whined, crossing his arms over his chest.  
"Well why was she crying?"  
"She tripped. You know what she's like!"  
With a menacing glare, the red head marched back over to the bar, her skirt swishing angrily behind her almost like a tail. Gently, she stood Wendy up on the table top, and brushed the dirt from her white dress. When she was finished, she returned her attention back to the other women who watched her eagerly.  
"Erza," Lucy finally said, interrupting the silence. "When did you get so good with kids?"  
"Oh, me and Wendy got on well when she was normal, so our bond is the same now." The requip Mage smiled, sitting the child on her lap and holding her close. "But now I have to protect her."  
"Oh..."  
"When you think about it, it's the same with you and Natsu." Erza said thoughtfully, smirking slightly.  
Lucy felt heat rise to her cheeks. "You don't see me hugging him to my lap!"

"You were still holding his hand when you entered the Guild this morning." Levy chirped.  
"Because he was being an ass!"  
"How can a child be an 'ass', Lu-chan?"  
"You try dealing with a hyperactive 19 year old trapped in an 8 year old's body, _who won't stay still._"  
"Oh, come on, he's not that bad!"  
"He fell into a river because he wouldn't listen to me!"  
"But that's how he is naturally."  
"No... he's not. He might be dense, but he's not clueless. He can run along a path without trying to drown himself."  
"If you say so, " Levy laughed, returning her head to her book, her Gale Force glasses increasing her reading speed. "But I still can't find any patterns about the dragon sightings over the last 400 years – they come from anywhere and everywhere!"  
"Isn't there anything at _all _that connects them together?" Erza leant forward, squashing the child beneath her slightly. "Anything?"  
"Not really..."  
"Is there any way I can help? I mean, you can't do this all by yourself, it needs to be a joined effort."  
"Lucy, you just need to take care of Natsu. That's it! Can you take him home tonight and get him to pack a bag, since he's going to be staying with you."  
"Who said he's staying with me?"  
"Are you seriously gonna leave him alone with only Happy to look after him?"  
"Touché. But still, why me?"  
"You're his team mate. He doesn't trust anyone else as much as he does you. I'm sure he's said so himself many times... But still, can you take him home for an hour? I'm sure Happy's worried about him."  
Lucy sighed, pushing herself up from the bar stool and shooting a glance at Levy, who was reading, her brows furrowed in total concentration. With a quick nod from Erza, and a smile from Mirajane, she made her way over to Natsu, who was picking a fight with Gajeel for a change.  
"C'mon Squirt," She groaned, yanking him away from the quick tempered Iron Dragon Slayer before he threw any punches. A fight between them wasn't top on her list right now. "We're going to your home so you can pack a few bags and fill Happy in with what's happened, okay?"  
Natsu cocked his head to one side, like a bird. "Why do I need to pack a few bags?"  
"Well, we've decided that you're going to be staying with me whilst your like this. One reason being we are _not _leaving you alone with only Happy to look after you, and the other being that you're vulnerable, and even more destructive than usual."  
"Why do I have to stay with you?"  
The blonde planted her hands on her hips. "What, you want Erza or Mirajane to look after you?"  
Instantly, the boy recoiled, and Lucy could almost _see _what was going through his head as he thought of the two S-Class Mages taking care of him. A smirked played on the Celestial Mage's lips as she marched the Dragon Slayer out of the Guild, and allowed him to lead the way to his home.

* * *

"Happy!" Natsu roared as the pair barged into his small home, craning their necks to search for the blue Exceed. "Where are you Happy?"  
A small voice quivered from a corner. "Natsu?"  
"Happy c'mere!" He laughed, holding his stubby arms wide as the small cat barrelled into them, shaking.  
"What happened? You didn't come home yesterday, and when I went to the Guild they didn't know where you were and I was scared. And why are you little?"  
The Dragon Slayer shrugged. "Y'know the Magic Council? Well the bastards cursed me and Wendy and Gajeel, so we're all little!"  
"And why's Lucy here?"  
"Well, since I'm '_vulnerable_', and they don't trust you to look after me, we're staying at Lucy's until they get rid of the curse. And I was at her place last night."  
"Oh. Lucy, do you have any fish?"  
"If you hurry up, I might be able to get you some. But get packing, okay? Natsu, don't bother packing any clothes, since I doubt any would fit you, so just bring a few things that you'd miss, and Happy, just pack what you think you'll need."  
With the promise of fish, as soon as Lucy had stopped talking, the pair had already begun dashing around their home, picking up random items from the floor and shoving them into small backpacks. The only item Lucy could truly get a glimpse of was a toothbrush, which Happy had shoved into his little green sack on his back. Finally, they were finished, and after locking the door behind them, they set off back to Lucy's apartment, stopping in the market before it closed to pick up a few fish for Natsu and Happy.  
Finally, they tumbled through her front door, Lucy screaming at the Exceed to leave her clothes alone as soon as she stepped foot in her apartment. With a heavy sigh, she dumped the bags that she held in her hands onto the kitchen floor and started pottering about, placing the two fish that she bought into a frying pan and drizzling them in oil. When the fish was cooked, she slid them onto two separate plates and handed them to the eagerly awaiting children – she still counted Happy as a child, even if he was a cat - sat on the couch.  
Lucy tipped her head up to the clock that sat on her wall – 5 p.m. Still too early for them to _go to bed. _With a stifled yawn, she started looking for something to entertain the pair, and to hopefully keep them still for a couple of hours until she would have to force them to sleep. Finally, she found a dusty board game sat in one of her few unopened boxes, and with a smile, she set it on the small table that took place before the sofa.  
"Luce, what is that?" Natsu grumbled through his mouthful of bass.  
"A board game!" The blond cried triumphantly.  
"We don't wanna play a board game. It sounds _boring_!"  
Happy caught the pun and snickered, causing the blonde to flush in annoyance.  
"Well I'm sorry I don't have much to entertain a bunch of kids!"  
"Do you have any movies?"  
Lucy raised her eyebrows, her annoyance draining quickly. "You like movies?"  
"'Course we do! We've both been forced to watch some with Erza, Cana and Gray before."  
"Do you wanna pick one to watch?"  
With a toothy grin, Natsu jumped up form the seat and grabbed Happy, who yelped for help. "Where are they?"  
The blonde held up a finger and found her box chock-full of movie-lacrimas. Carefully, she placed the cardboard onto the table and let the pair rifle through it, grimacing as they chucked a few over their shoulders without looking. Finally, Happy let out a gasp and wrenched free a lacrima with the title – _Ponyo.  
_"Can we watch this one!" He cried, Natsu looking up and grinning once more at the selection, deciding to ask too. "Please, Lucy, please!"  
"I didn't even know I had this one..." She mumbled, plucking the square form the Exceed's hands and moving the box from the table. "You sure you wanna watch it? It's a bit old."  
"Put it on, put it on!"  
"Calm down."  
And with that, Lucy opened the plastic box and removed the chunk of neatly cut, crystalised lacrima and placed it on the table, pressing her hand on the top and sitting down beside Natsu as it started.

* * *

Lucy had never seen the troublesome duo be so still for so long. As the animation rolled on, Ponyo running along the waves after Sosuke's mother's car, Lucy cast a glance at the pair. Happy was leaning forward, his elbows sat on his knees, his head held in his paws, drooling slightly, and Natsu was sat bolt upright, his arms folded in his lap, dark eyes bright and his smile unwavering. The blonde pushed a golden bang behind her ear and smiled fondly at the sight – she really wished she owned a camera right now, because this was priceless.  
If she was honest, Lucy found the film boring. It was just too childish for her imagination. She wasn't going to be the one to spoil it for the pair beside her though, so she decided to grit it out, choosing to watch Happy and Natsu's reactions instead of the movie itself.  
Finally, as Sosuke agreed to love Ponyo no matter what, Lucy felt a weight fall against her side. She looked down to find a sleeping Natsu leaning against her, drool dripping from the corner of his open mouth. Casting a glance over to the other end of the sofa, she confirmed Happy was in the same state, muttering about magic fish and whatever else in his slumber.  
Smiling once more, the blonde gently slid one arm under the young Dragon Slayer's shoulders, and the other under his bent knees, bringing him up against her as he grumbled at the slight disturbance. She moved over to her bed and dropped the child gently, folding him up under the sheets and pulling them up to his neck. She then made her way back to the sofa and picked up Happy under the armpits, bringing him up against his chest and tucking him up next to Natsu, who reached out unconsciously and brought the cat closer to him.  
As Lucy entered the living area of her apartment once more, she glanced up at the clock again. 6:30. And Natsu was already asleep.  
_Success  
_Suddenly, the blonde had to stifle a yawn of her own. Why were movies so tiring again? With another yawn, she collected her pyjamas and went to her bathroom, changing into the soft material and turning to face the mirror. Quickly, she dampened her toothbrush and dragged in across her teeth hurriedly, not bothering to brush for 2 minutes. She then splashed her face with cold water and threw herself down onto the sofa, her eyes drooping shut the moment she felt comfortable.


	4. Mission Impossible

Chapter 4: Mission Impossible

"Lucy, open up, please!"  
Lucy groaned, stretching her arms out above her head, awakened by her best friend's frantic voice.  
"Levy?" She croaked, still half asleep.  
"Lucy, open the door now, it's about the Dragon Slayers!"  
This truly woke Lucy up, as she shot up from the couch and dashed towards her door, using her key which hung beside it and flinging it open to find Levy, thick purple bags hanging under her eyes. With a curt nod, the bluenette walked through the entrance, sitting down where Lucy was asleep not five minutes before, and setting out the stack of paper she held in her arms onto the table. The blonde rubbed the dust form her eyes and turned her head as her best friend finished laying down the sheets.  
"What did you find?"  
"I know how to find the dragons. But the problem is, the only way to get to them is through you."  
Lucy inched backwards slightly. "What?"  
"When they disappeared, they didn't leave – their existence was wiped out from Earthland, that's why no-one can ever track them. But I found where they are-"  
"But you just said-"  
"I know what I said, Lucy!" She snapped, her eyes burning.  
Lucy looked away. "I'm sorry, carry on."  
She felt arms wrap around her sluggishly. "No, I'm sorry. I haven't had any sleep because I've stayed up since you left the Guild yesterday searching all the known records. I'm sorry I snapped. Really."

Lucy left out a sigh. "So what did you find?"  
"The Dragons were turned into spirits, that's why no-one has been able to track them. It was their punishment for bringing Dragon Slaying magic back into the world by raising their human children. I don't know who or what did it, but they turned they most powerful Dragons into spirits so that they couldn't let their children become too powerful, and end up losing their humanity-"  
"Like Acnologia?"  
"Exactly. But I've tracked where the keys are located. They're all over the world – the furthest being in the western continent. I've already sent Alzack and Bisca to go collect that key, since they know the place better than anyone in Fairy Tail."  
"Who's key is it?"  
"Grandine's."  
"And the others?"  
"Metalicana's is in Iceberg – I've sent Gray and Juvia to get that one since Gray is the best with the cold and Juvia is Gajeel's oldest friend we know."  
"Igneel's?"  
Levy sighed, looking down and placing her head in her hands, muffling her speech. "I haven't been able to pinpoint it exactly, but it's somewhere in Sin."  
"Sin? But that's-"  
"I know, the exile country. Full of the most law breaking, deadly wizards and villain's alive. I know you wanna go get Igneel's key for Natsu, but you can't. I'm trying to convince Master, Erza, Mirajane and the Rajinshuu to go after it, since it's so dangerous, but so far no luck. Erza's refusing to leave Wendy, Master says he has to stay at Fairy Tail to protect us from any further punishment from the Council, Mira won't leave Elfman and Lisanna and the Rajinshuu..."  
"But-"  
"Lucy, you need to stay here and make sure he doesn't know. If Natsu finds out, he'll be off like a shot, and you know as well as I do that he wont last a day out there."  
"Then why did you come and tell me this?"  
"Because you have a right to know. You were the only one who actually believed the Council's warning."  
"Levy?"  
"Yeah, Lu-chan?"  
"Thank you."  
As Levy began to stack her papers up again, Lucy reached her arm out and snatched the pinpointed map. She didn't care if she would last, she needed to get Igneel's key. She promised Natsu she would help him – she _promised, _and a Celestial Wizard never breaks her promise. Quickly, she slid the sheet up her cotton sleeve and let Levy out, locking the door behind her and rushing into where Natsu was asleep on her bed, snuggled up with Happy.  
Only he wasn't.  
As Lucy turned to face the Dragon Slayer, she found his eyes wide open and peeking out from under the quilt, only to be quickly covered up as he realised he was caught. Gently, Lucy sat herself down on the edge of the bed, trying not to wake up the still sleeping cat.  
"How much did you hear?" She mumbled, not bothering to brush the hair that fell into her face back behind her ears as she would normally do.  
Natsu realised there was no point in lying. "Most of it. I woke up when Levy shouted at you. Were you really not gonna tell me about Igneel's key?"  
Slowly, Lucy turned, her face still hidden behind her curtain of hair. "What do you think?"  
Natsu flashed his toothy grin, pumping his fist into the air. "When do we leave?"  
"Who said anything about you going?"  
"Lucy, I'm not letting you go alone – like Levy said, it's too dangerous."  
"And that's exactly why you're not coming."  
"But-"  
"No Natsu. That's final."  
"But you'll get hurt."  
"Why'll Lushee get hurt?" Happy mumbled sleepily, stretching himself and sitting upwards, his eyes still slightly crusty with sleep. "Is there more bad guys?"  
Lucy held out her arms and let Happy crawl to her, bringing him close to her chest. "Not at all, Happy, now you go back to sleep, ya hear me?"  
"But if Lushee's in danger..."  
"Shh, go to sleep."  
"But if I let Lushee gets hurt, Natsu will be really sad..."  
Lucy smiled despite herself. "I'm not gonna get hurt, okay?"  
"Yes you will if you don't let me come with you!" Natsu yelled, his eyes clenched shut.  
Suddenly Happy jerked himself, fully awake, and looked around him, dazed. "Where's Lucy gonna go?"  
"Nowhere!"  
"She's trying to go to Sin and get Igneel's key without us, without me!"  
"That's stupid – we're a team, Lucy, you can't go without us!"  
"Yes I can, okay?"  
"No, it's not okay!"  
"Natsu _shut up!" _Lucy yelled, closing her eyes to trap her frustrated tears. "You're not coming, and that's final. I can't let you get hurt okay? It's my responsibility to keep you safe whilst you're like this."  
"But-"  
The blonde pushed Happy from her lap and jumped to her feet, the map falling from her sleeve and onto the floor."_Stop playing hero and listen to me_!"  
Natsu recoiled, his eyes still displaying his anger. "I'm not-"  
"Yes, you are, you _always _are. Even when you don't realise it, you are." Lucy dropped her head and sat back down on the edge of her bed. "Please stay here whilst I'm gone?" She whispered. "I can trust you enough to look after yourself with Happy as long as you know how serious this is, right?"  
He lowered the quilt from his eyes and crawled up above the fabric, cocking his head. "Why aren't you letting me help you?"  
"Because... you've done so much for me, and I've never felt like I've been able to pay you back. I feel like if I manage to get Igneel back to you, that'll change. I'd've done the only thing that would really makes you happy."  
"So you're risking your life... just to what? Repay me?"  
"When you put it like that..."  
"Fine."  
Startled, Lucy raised her head and met the boy's stern eyes. "What?"  
"I won't come with you. I know that you're gonna beat yourself up over it no matter what so there's no point in arguing right? Just take Happy with you."  
"No. I can't take Happy, he needs to stay and look after you."  
Suddenly, the cat barreled forward, knocking Lucy sideways, nearly falling from the bed. "Natsu can look after himself just fine! I'm going with you. If Natsu doesn't want you to get hurt, then I'll make sure you don't! I promise I'll protect you!"  
She wiped the tears that sprung from her eyes. "You stupid cat," She smiled fondly, patting him on the head as he sat on her stomach and placed his paws on his sides stubbornly. "If you really want to come with me..."  
Happy spread his wings suddenly and shot upwards, grinning. "I won't let you get hurt, Lushee!"  
"Have you got what you need?" The blonde smirked, propping herself back up.  
"Aye!"  
"Good, 'cos were leaving right now so Levy doesn't realise the map is gone."  
"Aye sir!"  
Quickly, Lucy jumped from the bed and grabbed her clothes from yesterday – nothing wrong with wearing them for a few days, right? - and dashed into the bathroom madly, throwing on the outfit she had replicated when her Landlady _acquired _her other set. She brushed her teeth for longer than usual, to make up for last night, keeping the brush and near-full tube of toothpaste in one hand as she used the other to damped her facecloth and washed her face, holding that too in her hand as she picked up her pyjamas in her free hand and opened the door once more with her bottom. She felt Natsu and Happy watch her curiously as she slung her belt about her waist, looping _fleuve d'étoiles _through one belt loop and her pouch of keys through the other, grabbing a large backpack and stuffing full of things she may need, to give to Virgo to store in the Spirit World. Then the blonde grabbed a small satchel and began filling it with the essentials – a large pouch of her saved up money, her toothbrush, toothpaste and facecloth, a small first aid kit, a bunch of dried food and two pouches of water.  
Satisfied with her packing, Lucy then made her way back over to her bed, where the duo were still sat, and picked up the fallen map, folding it carefully and sliding it into her satchel. She then turned to Happy, who Natsu held in his arms, and held out her hand.  
"You ready?" She asked, her eyes burning with a fierce determination that the pair thought they had never seen before.  
He Exceed burst from Natsu's grasp and ran towards her, bouncing off the bed and landing on the floor by her feet. "Aye, sir!"  
Lucy nodded at Happy, then turned back to Natsu, rifling through her bag until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out her thick wad of notes – from many, _many_months of saving up – and pulled out fourteen, 10,000, notes, counting them once more as she placed them into his hand.

"I've already paid this month's rent on the 23rd, so you should be okay, but if I'm not back in 23 days to pay again, there's the money to pay. The rest is for food, but please don't spend it all in one go, okay?"  
Natsu nodded, placing the money on her book cabinet.  
"I'm gonna call Virgo now to get you some spare clothes that should last you a while. I'm sure there's a launderette somewhere when they run out, if not, the lady below should be fine washing your clothes if you give her a bit of money towards it."  
Natsu nodded once more, and satisfied with him, Lucy whipped Virgo's key from her pouch and summoned her forth, asking for a few extra sets of clothes for Natsu, and for her to store Lucy's huge backpack for her since she won't be able to carry it herself. The pink haired spirit bowed low with a sweeping motion of her shackled arms and grabbed the backpack, disappearing for a few moments before returning with her arms full – and by that, a huge towering, stack - of brightly coloured clothing, which she placed on the floor.  
"Is there anything else you wish, Princess?" She asked, folding her arms neatly.  
Lucy dismissed her. "No thanks, Virgo, you can go now."  
"Princess, please be careful." The spirit warned before disappearing again, Lucy sliding her key back into her pouch, her head hanging low.  
"I will."

* * *

"How long will it take us to get to Sin?" Happy asked as he and Lucy sat awkwardly at their designated seats on the train that would take them to the kingdom of Pergrande, near the borderline of Sin.  
"Uh... about a week. We are going across the continent you know."  
"I know that, but still, that's _wayyyy_to long for a train ride!"  
Lucy suddenly had to resist the urge to giggle. "Could you imagine Natsu with us?"  
Happy began to squirm, and he covered his mouth with his paws. "Ugh, I'm going to be sick! Help me Lucy! Help me Happy! _BLUEGH!" _He imitated.  
This time, Lucy let out her laughter, doubling over almost immediately as the fit overcame her. Now she was glad she agreed to bring Happy along with her – even if they _were _mocking the Dragon Slayer rather cruelly. It wasn't his fault his stomach wasn't his best friend, right? But still, the pair needed something to laugh at, even if it was at someone else's expense. Finally, she wiped the tears that escaped her eyes and took a deep breath, sitting upright and gazing out of the window and at the passing scenery. They were already at Hargeon Port, and memories began filling Lucy's mind; meeting Natsu and Happy, Natsu busting in on Bora's ship, Happy flying her away.  
Natsu destroying the town in his trademark fashion.  
Natsu dragging her away from the military, his smile infectious as he brought her to Fairy Tail.  
"She _liiiiiikes _him," Happy snickered, tearing the blonde form her thoughts, and making her blush.  
"What're you on about?" She blasted.  
"You were thinking about Natsu weren't you?" The cat continued to tease.  
"Yeah, I was, actually, but not like that, so stop laughing – I don't like him like that!"  
"So what were you thinking about?"  
"How you guys saved me from Bora."  
Happy sunk into his seat. "Boring."  
"How is it? That day... that day changed my life!"  
The cat yawned. "Sentimental."  
Lucy frowned, sulking. "This coming from the cat who's best friend keeps every flyer of every mission he's been on."  
"I never said Natsu wasn't."  
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Then why were you teasing me?"  
"You don't really seem like the sentimental type. You like forgetting your past."  
She smiled, and leant forward. "Not when it concerns you two."  
Suddenly, Happy grinned. "Aww, stop it, you're making me blush!" He imitated her.  
The smile dropped from Lucy's face, and she puffed out her cheeks, leaning backwards into her seat and crossing her arms as she directed her gaze once more to the scenery. "Dumb feline."  
Blocking out the sound of the noisy carriage around her, and Happy's constant teasing, the blonde watched Fiore race past the train window. Trees flew past at an amazing speed, and soon Lucy was lost in her own little world.

* * *

_**LUCY!** _A voice startled Lucy awake, though she wasn't sure how long she had actually been sleeping. Outside, the sky was dark, and the land unrecognizable. **_Where are you?  
_**_**Huh?** _Lucy thought, rubbing her eyes and stretching out her arms, noticing Happy snuggled up against her side.  
**_Lucy come home NOW! I haven't told anyone about you leaving, so please, return whilst you have the chance._**_  
_Suddenly, the voice clicked, and Lucy gasped aloud, startling a few passengers on the train. **_Levy?_**_  
**Yeah,** _The bluenette spoke in her head once more, her voice full of anger and worry.** _It's me. I've managed to get Warren to connect with you. Do you know where you are?  
__Not really, I've only just woken up.  
Lucy, I told you not to go! I can't believe you stole the map.  
I'm sorry. I made a promise, and I never break my promises.  
I don't care, Lu-chan! If you- if you... you know, I'll never be able to forgive myself!  
Levy-chan, I'll be back before you know it. I'm not alone, I've got Happy with me, so I'm in safe hands. _**_  
**Happy? He's only an Exceed, Lucy! He can't protect you for long.**  
**Keep this conversation secret, okay? Don't tell anyone I'm gone.**  
**But-**  
_Lucy severed the connection in her mind, cutting Levy off mid-sentance. Sure, she felt awful, but right now, that was the least of her problems. She knew she was putting herself at risk, but she couldn't return empty handed, and knowing that she would be the only search party to fail. Alzack and Bisca, and Gray and Juvia were amazing, compatible teams, so they weren't going to return without their keys, so Lucy wasn't going to be the one to return empty handed.  
With this thought on her mind, Lucy blocked any further contact from her blue haired best friend and closed her eyes, wrapping an arm around Happy and resting her head against the back of the train seat.

* * *

When Lucy woke up again, Happy was curled up in her lap, snoring. Outside, the sun was shining, and around her, noisy chatter filled the blonde's ears.  
"-I heard that Suki-"  
"-We're getting off at the next stop-"  
"-I hear that Pergrande is lovely this time of year-"  
"-Don't you agree?-"  
Quickly, she stretched her arms and shuffled about to get the sleeping Exceed from her lap so she could go buy breakfast for them from the food carriage. Failing, she groaned, and simply stood up, catching the cat as he fell and placing him back on the seat, where he writhed and rubbed his eyes.  
"Lushee?" He mumbled, cracking open one eye tiredly.  
"It's okay, Happy, I'm just going to go get us some breakfast. You go get some more sleep and I'll wake you up when I'm back."  
With a quick, impulsive, scratch behind his ears, the blonde set off through the passage way and passed through six train carriages until she reached her destination. Even before she had entered the food carriage, the smell of greasy fried bacon and freshly baked cookies assaulted Lucy's senses, so she stepped in quickly, shutting the door behind her and standing in front of the display cabinet, waiting her turn in the short line to be served. When she reached the front of the line, a short, pudgy lady with a hairnet strung over her pink hair stared up at her. She couldn't've been older than 25.  
"What may I get you?" She stuttered, a hesitant smile playing over her lips as she glanced nervously at Lucy's hand.  
Lucy prattled off her order, pointing to a few things in the cabinet and handing over 5000 Jewels when the server returned with her hands full. The blonde grimaced at the amount, realising there way no way she was going to be able to carry the load back to the car.  
"Do you have a tray?" She asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.  
"O-of course!" The server – Lilian, according to her name tag – gasped, ducking behind the counter and pulling out a bright blue, plastic tray. "Will this serve your purpose?"  
"Perfect!" Lucy laughed, helping Lilian place the food onto the tray. "Thanks a lot!"  
The pinkette bowed. "My pleasure to be of service."  
Lucy smiled and turned away, making her way back to her seat with difficulty. When she returned, Happy was up and awake, staring of the window longingly.  
"Happy?" Lucy said questioningly, placing the tray down on one of their spare seats. "You okay?"  
"I just saw a _huge _lake back there, and I'm pretty sure it was full of _humongous _fish!"  
"Figures. Here, eat up, they were selling tune sandwiches." She sighed, passing over the soft sandwich into the cat's awaiting paws and picking up her apple and cereal bars and chewing down.  
Their breakfast was gone shortly after, and the pair washed down the food with the two cartons of milk the stellar mage had bought alongside her order. They then returned to watching the outside through the window.  
Two hours later, the drivers voice rang through the intercom.  
"Hello passengers, ladies, gentlemen and cats alike, I'm afraid to inform you that we're going to have to take an emergency stop at the next station available for minor repairs. This should set our schedule back by two to five hours. Sincere apologies for the delay."  
All around, groans and sighs we heard, and half an hour later, the train pulled into a small train station, and grudgingly, the passengers poured off onto the platform, hauling their luggage behind them in fear of pickpockets. Lucy stepped out into the light, Happy flying alongside her, and covered her eyes.  
"Woah it's bright," She groaned, her eyes adjusting to the harsh light.  
"Aye," Happy sighed, wincing.  
Together, the pair simply sat down on the floor, everywhere else taken by other passenger, and waited it out. Around them, they heard more useless conversations, until one caught Lucy's attention, and she decided to listen in.  
"-Did you hear about Fairy Tail?-"  
"-Oh yeah, I think I did! Hasn't the Council cursed the Dragon Slayers?-"  
"-Yeah! And the Guild's going up against them!-"  
"-Really? Are you sure?-"  
"-Really truly! I heard that that little blue girl – Revy? Is that her name? No – Levy, has found a way to stop the curse, and she's sent out the strongest teams to go get what they need.-"  
"-You're kidding? What do they need?-"  
"-Keys.-"  
"-Celestial keys? Like the ones that Lucy Heartfilia – y'know, the really fit one – uses?-"  
Lucy flinched at that comment, keeping her head down.  
"-I think so. They're getting them from all around the world and bringing them back to her to summon something!-"  
"-Where are they?-"  
"- I don't know exactly, but I think I heard that one's in the Western Continent, so they've sent out Alzack and Bisca to go get, and the other's in Iceberg.-"  
"-Lemme guess; Gray?-"  
"-And Juvia.-"  
"-But there's three Dragon Slayers right, shouldn't there be three keys?-"  
"-There is! But the third one is the most dangerous and no-one's been sent out to go get it.-"  
"-Where is it?-"  
The blonde guy looked around nervously. "-I heard it's in Sin. That Levy chick has been trying to get their Master and the S-Class mages to go get it, but no luck there.-"  
And from there, Lucy tuned out, aggravated for some unknown reason. Happy squirmed on her lap, and she knew he had heard every word as well. Suddenly, the intercom rang out once more.  
"Greeting passengers, the emergency repairs have taken less time than expected, so please feel welcome to board the train once more. We will be departing in half an hour's time."  
Grinning from ear to ear, Lucy and Happy jumped to their feet – well, Happy spread his wings and began to hover. - and filed into the crowd to board the train once more. Then as Lucy was about to step foot inside her carriage, a shrill scream filled the air, and the blonde whipped around to find the server from earlier, Lilian, a thick, muscled arm wound round her neck and a hand held gun pointed to her head.  
"This is a train heist. Anyone moves outta line, and you and her get pumped full of lead."

* * *

Lucy felt her insides turn into granite as she watched the scene before her unfold. Lilian stood shock still as the barrel pressed deeper into her temple, where a curl of her pastel pink hair had stuck to her pale skin with sweat.  
_C'mon Lucy, you're a mage, this is what you're meant to stop! _Lucy growled in her mind.  
In front of her, a small girl was shaking in fear and suddenly, she lurched forward, her arms outstretched as she sobbed. "Mama!"  
Then what happened next seemed to happen in slow motion to Lucy. She watched in horror as the muscled man pulled his gun away from Lilian's head and point it at the young girl, his finger poised and ready at the trigger. As he clicked the bullet into place, Lucy dove forward, throwing herself through the thin crowd and shoved the girl to the ground, the bullet piercing and passing through her shoulder, sending bursts of agonizing pain shooting through her body. She gritted her teeth and stood, ignoring the blood that trickled down her chest.  
"What's this?" The man growled, his teeth snarling. "Little blonde bimbo wanted to play hero did she? Well let's see how that turns out when her heart is full of lead."  
Again, he clicked a bullet into place, and Lucy whipped out _fleuve d'étoiles, _and flicking her wrist outwards as she swerved to the side, narrowly missing another bullet to her body. The whip coiled around the gun, and with a triumphant grin, Lucy yanked the weapon from the man's meaty hands, catching it mid air as it came towards her.  
"Does bimbo think she's won because she's got my gun? Dumb blonde." He sneered again, holding out his arm.  
Lucy watched as his fist was surrounded in a harsh, yet familiar, golden light. When the light diminished, the man was holding a long rifle.  
"You requip?" She gasped, dropping the gun in her hand._  
_"Of course I do! I'm the Hawkhand, and I'm a gun mage."  
"Great time for introductions," Lucy stuttered,suddenly nervous.  
"Don't you have any manners, bimbo? I told you my name, so you have to tell me yours."  
The blonde swallowed deeply, her hands sweating. "I'll make you a deal; you let Lilian go, and I'll tell you my name. Then we'll fight."  
"Nah." Hawkhand smirked, tightening his grip on his hostage. "I think I'll keep her."  
Once more, Lucy hand lashed out, and _fleuve d'étoiles _whipped forwards, wrapping itself around Lilian's waist, tight. "Sorry, but I don't think that's an option."  
Quickly, she yanked backwards with all her might, and the pinkette flew towards her screaming. Lucy held out her arms and caught her, freeing her from her whip and pushing her, alongside everyone else back into the train. "I'm sorry."  
Suddenly, Lucy felt a rope wrap around her own waist and she flew upwards just as another shot rang. She looked up to see Happy holding her out of the bullet's path before dropping her back down. As Hawkhand shot again, Lucy pulled out Loke's key.  
"Open, gate of the Lion," She chanted, her eyebrows furrowed. "Loke!"  
The ginger male appeared before her, running forward without a word and holding his ring. "Lucy, I need to talk to you!"  
"Now's not a good time, Loke!" She called, placing his key back into her pouch.  
"So bimbo's a wizard too, and she's called Lucy? Now where have I heard that before..."  
"Lucy, really-"  
"Not now!"  
"Lucy Heartfilia!" He clicked his fingers triumphantly. "Celestial mage. Heh, I'm gonna have fun with this bimbo, alright."  
Loke punched forward, his fist covered in golden light, sending the other male crashing backwards into the station wall. Quickly, he sat upright, wiping the blood from his mouth and readying his gun. He didn't have a chance to shoot it though, as Loke knocked it from his hands and in rapid succession, punched him as well, knocking him out cold.  
Neatening his glasses and tie, the spirit turned and sent a deadly glare in Lucy's direction. "What are you thinking, Lucy!" He demanded, marching towards her.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Going out to Sin by yourself, goddammit! And where's Natsu? You've got to have at least that much common sense, right? You _are_ the same Lucy as my master, aren't you?"  
Lucy swallowed whatever quick remark she was going to make and straightened her posture. "Natsu is still at my home, where he will be safe."  
"Oh my... Lucy, you idiot! You're gonna get yourself killed out there."  
"Thanks for the confidence vote!"  
"I'm being serious! Why didn't you bring him with you? He can protect you!"  
"I don't need protecting!"  
"You say that with a gunshot wound on your shoulder! I'm gonna ask you again: Why isn't Natsu with you?"  
"Because he'll get hurt out there."  
"And so will you. Does the Guild know where you are?"  
"Of course."  
"I'll take that as a no, then. Lucy I'm getting Natsu and bringing him here whether you like it or not."  
"No, you're not!"  
"Yes I am! You're lucky I'm not dragging you back to the Guild right now. You know I'm gonna have to tell them."  
Lucy scowled. "Force closure."  
As Loke began to dissolve, he glared again. "What's the point Lucy? You know I can open my own gate?"  
"Goodbye, Loke."  
"I'm bring Natsu to you tomorrow. I don't care if you hate me for-"  
Finally, the spirit was gone, and only Happy was left on the station besides Lucy.  
"Lucy?"  
"What?" She snapped.  
"Please just accept someone's help? I nearly didn't get to you in time back there... if that was to happen out in Sin..."  
Lucy's glare softened and she reached out to the cat, pulling him close, ignoring the pain that shot through her shoulder at the movement. "Fine. But only Natsu. We're a team, right? We do everything together."  
Behind them, the blonde heard footsteps, and she turned to see Lilian slowly walk towards her, a small box in her hand.  
"I know I can't do much..." She mumbled, looking downwards. "But it's the least I can do to thank you for saving me and Genevieve."  
Lucy let Happy go and met the woman halfway, nodding. "You really don't need to do anything-"  
"Yes I do!" She burst, shooting a sharp glance upwards. "I have healing magic. I taught it to myself, so it's not that strong, but I think I can heal your wound just fine, so if you'd please..."  
Eyebrows raised, the blonde crouched to her level and thrust her shoulder forward, jerking slightly as Lilian's cold hands came to rest above her wound. Slowly, small blue sparks emitted fom her hands, and Lucy felt her wound close over, stopping the constant trickle of blood from falling down her chest. When the healer backed away, Lucy took a look and gasped.  
"You did it, you really did it..." She mumbled. "I didn't know there was anyone else apart from Wendy and Chelia who had healing magic. I thought it was entirely lost apart from them."  
"It's the least I can do. But please accept my gift for your quest." The pinkette nodded before placing the box into the blonde's hands.  
Then she turned and walked back into the carriage, Lucy catching a glimpse of Genevieve waving nervously to her. With a smile, she turned to Happy and nodded her head towards the door.  
"We should head back in."  
"Aye."**  
**


	5. Master

Chapter 5: Master

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S GONE?" _Makarovbellowed, slamming his enlarged fist on the table.  
Levy began to stutter. "Master, I'm sorry-"  
"SORRY ISN'T GOING TO BRING LUCY BACK IS IT?"  
"Master, please-"  
"NO! WHY IS SHE SO STUBBORN? WHY COULDN'T SHE'VE STAYED WITH US AND LET US HANDLE THE SITUATION?"  
"Master, listen to me!"  
"NATSU'S GONNA GET IT WHEN HE COMES BACK."  
Levy clenched her eyelids, trapping her frustrated tears. "_Natsu hasn't gone with Lucy!"  
_"What? WHAT?"  
"You heard me! Lucy didn't want him to get hurt out there, so she left without him."  
Erza turned her head away and slammed her armoured fist against the bar, denting the wood severely, making Mira flinch. "That _idiot."  
_"Master, Erza, if you please, calm down," Mira smiled, not reaching her eyes. "Lucy can handle this. She's a member of Fairy Tail isn't she?"  
"That's not the point, Mirajane." Erza snarled, her lip curling. "Sin is this continent's banishment land. It's full of hardened criminals. Even a Wizard Saint like Master would last no longer than a month. If Lucy's in there alone then... I don't even want to think about it."  
Mira scowled. "Don't treat me like a child Erza, I know exactly what Sin is. I'm an S-Class too – I've been on missions there unlike you, so don't just assume you have authority over my knowledge. I'm only trying to keep things light around here, since everyone else seems to look on the bad side."  
Levy opened her eyes. "Mira-"  
The She-Demon took a deep breath and regained her composure. "I'm sorry Levy, but we need to just trust in Lucy to handle herself out there whilst we try to find her. Sin is a big place you know?"  
Laxus glared at the Take Over mage. "You what?"  
"Well we're not just going to let her die out there, are we? She's just as much as our family as the longer serving members here."  
Erza's scowl deepened as she stood. "I'm having Cana take care of Wendy for me. I- I'm not going to let you go off to get Lucy without me – what kind of friend would I be if I did?"  
"I guess I've gotta go..." Laxus groaned, pushing himself up to stand lazily, Freed standing hastily in his wake.  
"Can't let Laxus go without us." Bixlow laughed, slinging his arm playfully around Evergreen's shoulders as she waltzed over.  
Elfman walked over to the group, his fist placed over his heart."A real man wouldn't let his friends go without him!"  
"I can't let one of my kids die whilst I sit twiddling my thumbs."  
"Don't count me out." Mira winked.  
"I'm going too!" Levy piped, her voice thick.  
"No – that's out of the question. We need you here to keep on planning."  
"Leave her be Erza. She's just as much Lucy's friend as you are."  
"Fine. We leave tomorrow. I'm going to go search Lucy's apartment for any clues." The redhead shrugged, stalking out of the Guild and through Magnolia, stopping short of Lucy's front door on Strawberry Street before kicking it open forcefully and taking the stairs to her home.

* * *

When Erza reached Lucy's door, the first thing she heard was conflict, shoes scuffing against the floor and someone being restrained.  
"Open up!" Erza yelled, banging her fist against the door repeatedly until it fell through under pressure.

Natsu was struggling against Loki's iron grip, cussing and screaming blue murder as he tried to free himself using any means possible, while the spirit stood with his arms pinning the child's to his back, swearing as he received a heavy blow to the shins. Erza had to fight the urge to laugh despite the situation at hand.  
"Erza help!" Natsu grunted, kicking backwards and digging his heel into Loki's kneecap.  
"Shit. Natsu, can you stop kicking me?"  
"Not until you let me go!"  
"I'm not gonna do that, and you know it."  
Erza summoned a sword to her hand and pointed the tip forward. "Loki, what are you doing to Natsu? Release him at once."  
"Erza, I'm not hurting him."  
"I could beg to differ, provided what I'm seeing. Now let him go!"  
"I can't! I told Lucy I'd-"  
"You told her what?"  
"That I'd bring Natsu to her whether she liked it or not, now I've gotta go. She's going to be arriving in Sin in a few hours time."  
And with that, the pair disappeared in a flurry of golden light, Natsu still kicking and screaming. Erza missed a beat before dropping her sword and screaming.  
"_LOKI_!"

* * *

"Lushee..."A teasing voice smirked, dragging Lucy from her slumber.

The blonde groaned, covering her eyes with her arm. "What do you want Happy?"  
"It's time to get off the train..."  
This woke up the mage, and she sat bolt upright, her brown eyes wide. "Really? But I thought-"  
"Yeah, they used some weird magic to speed up the train a while back because of the high demand in Pergrande. So we're getting off in about five minutes."  
"What?" The mage blinked.  
"You heard me, so get up!"  
She scowled. "Damn feline... thinking he can speak to me like that..."  
"I can hear you y'know."  
"Oh I know."  
Suddenly, a curvy shadow was cast over the pair. "That's enough bickering now." It laughed.  
Lucy looked up to find a curvaceous brunette with glossy corkscrew curls and precision lined eyeliner bordering her slim golden eyes. She was young, there was no doubt about it, but she still had smile lines crinkling the sides of her eyes and her mouth.  
"Sorry, do I know you?" She questioned, taking in the other female before her with a sense of recognition.  
"Not personally," The girl laughed again, ruffling her thick bangs. "But you probably saw me at the Grand Magic Games last summer. I was the newest member of Blue Pegasus."  
"Is that so?" The blonde pondered, resting her hand on her chin.  
The brunette smacked her lips. "Yup. My name's Mariana Cowelling. I heard that you're running off to Sin for a while, and since I'm heading there myself on an S-Class mission, I thought I'd tag along. You're gonna need some help out there."  
Lucy huffed. "You've got some manners."  
Mariana's eyes widened. "Oh, no! I didn't mean it like that, honestly. I just meant that any who's heading out there would need a hand. Even with your own Exceed you wouldn't last long. Your magic supply would run out soon enough."  
"He's not my Exceed."  
"He's not? Oh right, he's Salamander's, isn't he?"  
"Yeah, but I don't see Happy as a cat. More like an annoying little brother."  
"That's Fairy tail for you. Even the cats are family."  
"You've got a problem with that?"  
"Not at all. Pegasus is close, don't get me wrong, but I envy Fairy Tail and their bonds. In Pegasus we're just allies, whilst in Fairy, you're all family."  
The blonde sighed, letting her guard down. "Yeah, that's true. They're my only family left."  
"Hey, this isn't the time for any soppy back stories, is it? I've only just met you! Save the deep stuff for later, okay? Anyway, we've gotta get off now, the station's only a mile away."  
Almost as soon as Mariana said that, their train carriage turned onto a straight, and the grand train station was in sight, coming towards them slower and slower as the train braked. Lucy slung her small satchel over her shoulder and waved her hand for Happy to get a move on as the two female's walked towards the doors, eager to be the first off the cramped vehicle. The blonde noticed the other girl slip a purple pill from her bag and swallow it before the doors slid open with a hiss.  
Happy flew alongside the pair, who walked around the capital city of Pergrande to find a carriage willing to take them to the border of Sin. A matter of hours later, the tired trio finally found someone willing to do so.  
"But it'll cost ya." He grinned, most of his teeth black and rotting, or not there at all.  
Lucy stood tall, her hand clutching at her belt defensively. "Naturally."  
"Sin's kinda dangerous 'bout this time a year," He slurred, running a wrinkled hand through his thinning, greasy hair. "So fare's a bit... more den usual."  
"How much?"  
"100,000"  
"You're kidding, right?"  
"It's me, or ya walking. It's up ta ya."  
"I'm not paying 100,00 Jewels from some greasy old man to drive me to the border of-"  
Mariana placed her hand on her allies's chest. "Lemme talk talk to him."  
"Listen 'ere ya wench, there's no way-"  
The brunette took a cautious step towards the cabbie, her golden, almost luminous eyes firmly on his watery blue. "How about you find it in the kindest recesses of your old, withered, heart to reduce the fair by two thirds since you're taking us young, defenseless ladies to our deaths. Or even better, you could take us there for free. How about that?"  
"Mariana that's not gonna work."  
The other mage held a finger to her lips and continued to stare into the male's eyes. "Don't interrupt me."  
"Mariana-"  
"Shh Lucy, please."  
The old man began to stutter, his mouth moving on it's own will. "I-I will drive you to Sin for free. It's- It's the least I can do. My withered heart is kind. I'm driving you to your deaths. Free ride."  
Lucy noticed the faint, golden magic circle beneath his feet. Suddenly, Mariana grinned and broke eye contact. "Why thank you, you lovely old man."  
The runes disappeared, melting into the slick cobblestones. Shaking her head and clearing her mind, Lucy followed the other girl into the carriage and pulled Happy in after them, latching the door shut behind them as they settled down into their seats. With a crack of the reins, the driver set his troupe of horses into motion and they were off, flattened to the backs of their cracked seats with the momentum. Lucy cast a glance out of the corner of her eye to Mariana, who was green in the face and reaching into her bag shakily.  
"Travel sickness?" The blonde managed to stutter through her bouncing.  
Mariana's eyes rolled into her head as she gave up trying to dig out whatever she was looking for. "Yup." She squeaked quietly, her cheeks puffing out.  
"This is gonna be a fun journey..." Lucy sighed, staring out her small, smudged window and watching yet again the scenery move across her vision.

* * *

"Oi, ya wenches, get out, this is as far as I can take ya." The carriage driver growled from his seat outside the cab.

Lucy sat forward and stretched her arms out to wake up Mariana, who had knocked herself out shortly into the journey to stop herself suffering from her travel sickness. Once her eyes had snapped open, she sat bolt upright, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she whipped her head around.  
"Where are we?"  
"I dunno." Lucy admitted. "But the old guy's telling us this is as far as he can take us."  
"Oh." Mariana breathed, her entire being deflating. Then she stood, banging her head on the carriage's ceiling, causing Lucy to snicker.  
Then the brunette unlatched the door and climbed out of the vehicle, offering a hand to Lucy, who accepted gracefully, stepping down onto the uneven tarmac and craning her head to take in her surroundings. Happy flew out shortly afterwards, and then the driver cracked the whip once more and forced his horses to fly off, leaving the trio choking on the dirt that flew into their faces.  
Lucy turned to look at Mariana, who gulped. "Where are we?"  
"The driver took us way further than he had to. This is where they drop off criminals when they've been banished."  
"Yeah, but where's that?"  
"We're in the centre of Sin."  
"What?!"  
"Like I said, we're in the centre of Sin." Mariana gulped.  
Lucy looked at her shoes. "Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye..."  
"What are you taking about? I said I'd stay with you throughout this, didn't I?"  
"But you don't even know what I'm doing?"  
"Everyone knows what you're doing. You're getting Igneel's key."  
"But how-"  
"Information leaks y'know. Now are you gonna keep babbling, or can we go?" She flicked a ground length vine. "This place creeps me out."  
"Are you sure it's safe?" Then Lucy covered her eyes with her hand. "Oh Mavis, of course it's not! I didn't mean it like that-"  
"I know you didn't, so let's go! We don't wanna get caught up in any fights now do we so early on?"  
And with that, the blonde tromped after the other female, pushing out wild vines and tree branches that got in her way. Happy flew high above, checking for any danger he said, but Lucy knew that he was feeling lonely without his best friend. They walked for what felt like hours, but was probably only two, until Mariana's held flicked up suddenly, her eyes alert, her chubby finger to her lips.  
"What-"  
"Shh." She hissed, closing her gold eyes and concentrating. When she opened them, she looked panicked. "We need to find somewhere to hide. _Now._"  
"Let me get-"  
"Lucy!" The blue Exceed screamed, falling from the sky, his feathers fluttering as his white wings refused to move. "_Lucy!"_  
_"_Happy!" The blonde cried, rushing backwards to try and catch her friend.  
When she had him safely in her arms, she noticed the arrow impaled into his right wing. Then she felt a weight crash into her back, and the pair was knocked to the floor, a huge bolt of lightning, peppered with steel arrows, zap where the had just been standing. When the attack had vanished, Mariana jumped to her feet, her arms held wrist out in a 'x' like formation.  
"Find somewhere to hide, now. I can handle this dude."  
Lucy placed Happy to the side and stood, one hand on her whip, the other on her keys. "No. We're allies, right? We fight together, or not at all. Especially out here."  
"Lucy-"  
"No. I came out here for a reason, so I'm not gonna be weak."  
"Running away isn't weak, Heartfilia – it's the strongest thing a person can do when someone wants to protect them."  
Just then, another bolt was sent towards them from somewhere between the trees, and Mariana stepped in front of Lucy, her arms still in the same position as before. As Lucy opened her mouth to scream – she had seen Laxus's bolts many times before, and this one looked even more deadly – she saw the brunette's form flicker for a second before absorbing the shock and letting of steam – quite literally.  
A form stepped from the shadows.  
"Well then, it seems like we have someone worth me time." A male voice sneered. His unruly blonde curls unnerved Lucy as he locked his grey eyes with her brown ones and cocked his head to one side. "And someone else who might as well be my lunch."  
"You wish." Mariana snarled, and Lucy took a step back – why did that sound so familiar?  
"Well bring it on, kiddo, then we'll see." The blonde smirked, and held out his palm, an orb of crackling static forming around his hand and jetting off towards the pair in a constant stream.  
When Mariana brought her arms down, breaking the 'x' in an almost slicing gesture, waves of water appeared from the earth and intercepted the bolt before it hit the girls. She snarled again, and Lucy caught a quick glimpse of her mouth – was that a-  
"Lucy, do that Uno Metriana thing!"  
"It's Urano Metria! And I can't – it'll use up pretty much all my magic!"  
She growled again, holding out her palm and weaving a net of water around their foe. "That's fine. I'll just replace it when we're done here."  
"You what?"  
"JUST DO IT!"  
Lucy swallowed and summoned Gemini, who appeared in Lucy's form, as if knowing her intentions. With a nod, the spirit stood back to back with its master and linked hands, outstretching on arm and beginning to chant, whilst Mariana continued to battle it out in front of her.

"_Survey the Heaven, Open the Heaven,  
All of the stars far and wide,  
Show me thy appearance,  
With such shine,  
O Tetrabiblos,  
I am the ruler of the stars,  
Aspect became complete,  
Open thy malevolent gate.  
O 88 stars of the Heaven,  
Shine,  
Urano Metria!"_

Lucy and Gemini were surrounded in a golden glow as spheres of golden light cascaded from the heavens, towards her opponent. Around them, the plants were forced the other way from the wind that came from her spell, and when she opened her eyes to finish her chant, all that could be seen were two golden magic circles. Feeling the harsh winds behind her, Mariana whipped around, her attack cutting off, and she simply stared at the mage before her – sure, she had seen Lucy in the Grand Magic Games, but well, she had looked slightly pathetic, cowering on the ground as she sobbed. Her spell had been cancelled out by Flare's Guild, she knew that, so now, seeing the full effect blinded her to almost everything.  
Her breath came out jagged as another light began to glow next to Lucy, and two males stepped out from it – well, one walking, the other attacking- , one a man with ginger hair and a suit, and one a mere child with crazy pink hair – wait, was that...?  
"Lucy..." The man practically sighed in awe, staring at the blonde, whilst the child beside him stopped fighting to stare at her for a second before breaking into a face splitting grin and pumping fist, yelling; "Go Luce!"  
Suddenly, the lights disappeared, and Mariana noticed the immediate presence of the male vanish.  
Had Lucy actually killed him?  
No, because when the brunette turned around, she found his body laying on the ground, beaten up, bloodied and bruised, but his chest still rising and falling painfully. Lucy blinked, and the magic circles that were once her eyes had gone, and she looked around, her gaze glassy. Mariana remembered her promise, and rushed forward just as she collapsed, the child running behind her and propping her up with his own back, grunting under her sudden weight.  
"Hey, Lucy," She probed, placing her hands onto the other girls upper chest, above her heart, and beginning to mutter a incantation under her breath, her hands harmless emitting blue sparks which sunk into the blonde's skin. "Can you hear me?"  
The Stellar mage sighed and lifted her head, opening her eyes to meet her allies's concerned golden ones. "Yeah." She cracked weakly.  
"Thanks for doing that. I know you had no reason to trust what I promised you there, but if you could just hang on a bit longer, I can restore your magic."  
"You can?"  
"Yeah, just stay quiet for a few seconds, okay?"  
Lucy shut her mouth and watched the water mage before her transmit some more of the blue sparks to her body, which felt more like freezing water as they seeped through her skin. Gemini had disappeared as soon as the spell had finished, so Lucy didn't have to worry about sending them back, so instead she focused her energy on actually staying conscious as she felt her life force be refilled. Finally, she could stand upright, and Natsu groaned, rubbing his back.  
"Woah Luce, you really are heavy."  
"Natsu?" She gasped, turning quickly to face the child. "What are you doing here? Loki, I told you-"  
"And I told you I didn't care. I care more for your well-being than your pride Lucy, so just swallow it down and accept our help."  
"But-" Lucy cut herself off, turning her head instead to glance at Mariana, who was sat on the ground, panting, wiping her brow. "Mariana!"  
The brunette waved off her concerns. "I'm fine," She smiled weakly. "Just tired. That trick takes a lot out of me."  
The older girl got to her knees in front of the brunette, taking her hands. "Then why did you do it?"  
"Because I know that your life force is more fragile than others. It's the same with all Celestial Wizards – the more powerful the become, the more their life is tied with their spirits, and that means their magical energy."  
Lucy's eyes widened, and she released her hold on the girl's hands. "How old are you?"  
"15. Why?"  
"You're... 15?" She gasped. "How do you know this? And how are you so powerful?"  
"There are some things I'd rather keep to myself, though I can tell you this: my mother was the person who taught me my magic, and she knew so much, so it was bound to rub off on me in her lessons."  
Behind the pair, Lucy heard Natsu growl. "Who did this to Happy?"  
Lucy held her hands to her mouth as she turned to where the blue Exceed was curled up, shivering, the wound around the arrow oozing red. Mariana noticed this too, and she pushed herself in their direction, picking up the cat and examining him before starting to shake her head, and putting him back down.  
"I can't heal him. His condition isn't with his magic, it's his bodily state."  
"That's bullshit!" Natsu roared, his eyes glowing. "If you could heal Lucy, then why can't you heal Happy?"  
"I just told you!" She growled, defensive, a completely different person than the girl Lucy had met. "His condition isn't his magic supply, it's his health. I can't do anything."  
"You're useless!" He screamed, turning back to his friend. "If Wendy was here-"  
"Well I'm not the Sky Sorceress!" She sneered, her lips curling back, revealing her pointed canines. "I'm not a healer, I'm a reviver."  
Natsu's ears twitched and he snapped his head back around. "You smell weird."  
This set Lucy on edge.  
"And you smell like a snot-nosed brat, so I think we're equal."  
The blonde shook herself out of her daze and intercepted Natsu as he rushed forward, his fist ablaze. "Enough, stop fighting like children!"  
"But-"  
"You're 19, Natsu, you should know better."  
With a short lived glare, the fire user marched over to the wounded Exceed and tugged the arrow free, placing his hand over the puncture and sealing it with his flames. Happy cried out, and made his wings disappear, opening his eyes weakly and taking in the form above him.  
"Natsu!"  
"Aye, it's me."  
"What're you doing here?"  
"That ginger bastard dragged me here from Lucy's place."  
"Oh. Why?"  
"How am I supposed to know?"  
Mariana was at Lucy's side by now, and she leant sideways, whispering out of the corner of her mouth. "Are they always like this?"  
"Afraid so."  
"Can't we just dump 'em here?"  
"Afraid not."  
"I take it this is the famous Salamander?"  
"How did you guess?"  
"The pink hair, and the fact that you called him Natsu."  
"Makes sense."  
Lucy caught sight of Natsu sniffing the air, and he stood quickly, grabbing Happy up into his arms and turning round to face the two females. "We should be going. There's people heading this way, and they don't smell friendly."

* * *

The foursome walked well into the night, only coming to a halt when they were all – minus Natsu, who had what seemed like a limitless supply of energy – almost falling down with exhaustion. After Lucy pulling out her water containers and letting everybody have a drink, the group found themselves at the roots of a gigantous tree, which she quickly identified as a Mole Lignum Cavum. Remembering what was special about the species, the blonde took a few more steps towards it and knocked on the bark, only to find the insides hollow.  
"Looks like we have a place to stay." She smiled weakly, pulling out Virgo's key ad asking the spirit to dig them a hole into the tree.  
When the spirit disappeared again, one at a time, the group crawled through the tunnel under the plant and into the hollow trunk. Tired and magically exhausted, Mariana dropped to the ground instantly, curling up into a ball and falling asleep, leaving Lucy, holding a sleeping Happy, standing in the cramped space close to Natsu, who sunk to his heels and sat down. She took a look at the sleeping Exceed in her arms.  
"I'm sorry I let Happy get shot." She whispered, confident he could hear her.  
"Eh, it's okay. I know you couldn't've done anything."  
"I know, but still, you trusted me to look after him-"  
The child rubbed his eyes and began to slur his speech. "No, I trusted him to look after you, and he knew that. Give 'im 'ere."  
Slowly, the blonde bent down and placed the cat in his arms, sliding down next to the pair as Natsu held Happy tight, leaning against Lucy as he fell into his eventual slumber. She raised her brown eyes and watched the wind rustle the glossy leaves, allowing streams of moonlight to filter into the crowded space, for about ten minutes before giving into her body's natural craving, and closed her eyes, resting her head atop of the young Dragon Slayer's beside her.


	6. Luna Marina Explosion

Chapter 6: Luna Marina Explosion

Lucy woke up to the sound of angry growling, and clapping. When the blonde opened her eyes, she found Natsu sitting cross-legged next to her, clapping his hands together, a familiar scowl twisting his features.  
"Natsu, what're you doing?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she watched the young dragon slayer release a primal growl.  
"My fire," He muttered. "It's not working."  
"What do you mean it's not working? How can your magic... not work?"  
"How am I supposed to know!" He groaned, flinging his arms wide and directing his scowl at her.  
"Don't get angry with me!"  
"Having a tiff are we?" A tired, tinking laugh rang though the small space, tearing the pair from their little argument to stare at it's owner. "Bit early don't'cha think?"  
"I wouldn't call it a 'tiff'." Lucy mumbled as the brunette stood and stretched her arms upwards, bathing herself in the light that filtered into the tree trunk.  
"Well then, how about; argument, debate, a loud passing of words-"  
"I get it, no need to be smug."  
"I'm not smug, more..." Mariana clicked her fingers. "articulate."  
Natsu crossed his arms and curled up beside Lucy. "Smug."  
Mariana's face dropped. "I heard that, you little-."  
"Mariana!"  
The brunette sighed. "Sorry. I just-"  
"I don't care why you don't like Natsu, but since you're stuck with him, I expect you to be a bit more mature, and just stay civil at least. That goes for you too Natsu."  
"But-"  
"_Natsu._"  
He shrugged. "Fine."  
"Good. Now you two, do we have any plans about where to find Igneel's key?"  
Mariana shook her head. "Sorry, but I haven't really thought about it."  
"That ginger bastard dragged me here before I could even think."  
"That 'ginger bastard' that you've deemed to call him is my strongest Celestial spirit Natsu, so you might wanna stop calling him that before he snaps. Anyway, since we have no ideas, I might call Crux – he might be able to sense any keys present and tell us where they are."  
"What? The sleeping cross guy?"  
"Yep, now, can you both be quiet for a sec." Lucy fiddled with her ring of keys until she found Crux's simple silver one. With a flourish, she whipped it out and held it out in front of her. "Open, gate of the Southern Cross, Crux!"  
Bathed in gold light, the spirit appeared as sudden as ever, floating a few inches off the ground, his twig-thin legs crossed as he addressed Lucy. "Hello, Lucy, what is it you require?"  
"Hey Crux," The blonde smiled. "We need a bit of help finding Igneel's Celestial spirit gate key. We know that it's somewhere in Sin, but from there we have no clue, so can you help us pin point the approximate location?"  
"Would you like me to summon you a map with that?"  
"If you could, that'd be great."  
Then the spirit began to snore loudly. Mariana raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Spirits were weird after all. Lucy slowly leaned forward, full of anticipation, until the spirit's eyes snapped open suddenly, and a golden map appeared in his hand.  
"I have found the requested key. It appears to be in use by another wizard, but the gate has never been opened. The location of the key is pin pointed on the map, and so is all of yours. Lucy is the yellow marker, Natsu-san is the red marker, and Mariana-san is the blue marker. If you wish, I can get two more of the maps so you can all have a copy in case you are split up?"  
"Thanks so much, Crux. We'd love to have the other two copies please."  
Once more, the spirit began to snore, but not a few minute later, his eyes snapped open and two more golden scrolls appeared in his hands. Lucy grabbed the three sheets and passed them around with a thanks sent in the spirit's direction, who disappeared back into the spirit realm straight after. Instantly, Mariana unraveled her copy and pored her eyes over the fresh parchment, gasping slightly as she found what she was looking for.  
"Lucy," The blond turned her head. "I think I'm gonna be a lot more of a help to you."  
"Why's that?"  
"The key is in the underwater labyrinth. I remember Master Bob telling me about this a few years back, and how only water mages could find it's treasures. At the time I though it was a stupid bedtime story, but now I realise... Well, now I can say Bob's not as stupid as he looks."  
"Are you sure about this?"  
"100%. We should get going now though. It's gonna take us a few days to get there on foot, since we have no other modes of transport."  
Natsu stood up then, sliding his copy of the map into his pocket and bundling Happy up into his arms. "Well what are we waiting for? Juvia's double here is right, we need to get moving. And fast."  
"Juvia's double? You little-"  
"Why now? We need to eat, right?"  
"We've got no time for that. I can smell the same guys from yesterday."  
"What? The one Lucy pulverized?"  
"No. The ones after. Well, I'm not too sure if he's a dude, but lets just assume for now. All I know is that he's powerful if he's out here, so we've got to _move."  
_Lucy nodded, and Mariana disappeared down the hole from the previous night, followed quickly by Natsu, then by the blonde herself. When they finally climbed out of the other side, they broke into a run, eager to get away from the tree as fast as possible, and to get as close to the labyrinth as they could. After about 20 minutes of flat out sprinting, Lucy felt her lungs contract painfully, and fell to her knees, one shaking arm supporting her weight, and the other placed on her chest, as if trying to speed up her recovery.  
"Luce!" Natsu cried, turning around and falling into line with the panting blonde, who's face was a bright red. "You okay?"  
"Yeah, just- just exhausted. Not one for running for long." She panted, removing the hand from her chest and placing it on the floor to keep her balance as she coughed.  
Suddenly, Mariana was at her other side. "Why didn't you tell us?"  
"We have to keep moving, right?"  
"Yeah, well we can't do that if our ally is out cold, can we?" The brunette frowned, wrapping her arm supportively under the blonde's shoulders as she continued to hack.  
"Ally? Is that all you see her as?"  
"Not really, but this isn't the time to be arguing over labels, kid. How far away is that guy?"  
Natsu sniffed the air, his eyes shut as he concentrated. "We've got time to rest. Luce, do you have any more water?"  
"No. We drank it all last night."  
"Damn. Um... Mariana, can we drink your water or is it..."  
She bit her lip. "I... I don't know. I haven't tried it but I'd rather not risk it though. If you want I can purify some from a nearby stream."  
The brunette then pulled her map out and searched for a nearby water source. Her eyes lit up as she found one, and she gently let go of the girl she held. She then ran off into the underbrush and returned five minutes later with a large ball of swirling water floating in front of her, grinning madly. "Got some for all of us."  
"Lucy, you ready?" She asked, before tunnelling a small stream into her mouth. She then did the same for Natsu, and Happy, who the young dragon slayer had woken up whilst Mariana was gone.  
"Thanks." Lucy smiled, her usual colouring returning to her face, before her cheeks lit up. "Mavis, this is embarrassing. I really need to-"  
"You don't need to do anything. Just keep going as you are." Mariana snapped, her eyebrow knitted together. "Now lets get going. And _tell _us if you need a break."  
"Fine."  
Then Lucy pushed herself to her feet and jogged after the pair – and flying cat – before her, blushing madly. Why did she have to push herself too hard? She didn't get anything from doing that, except from making herself look weaker than usual. She ran her hand through her hair and groaned, causing Natsu to look over his shoulder at her, his eyebrow raised. She waved him off with a smile – no point in making him worry, right?  
The blonde raised her head and took in her surroundings. Then she noticed the sky. Thick black and grey storm clouds had begun to creep in whilst they wearing resting, and Lucy could taste that it-might-rain-taste. Of course! It was a rainforest, so it was _meant _to rain. _Everyday. _But still, she pushed onwards, praying to whatever God or gods were out there that they'd make it to shelter before the sky burst.

* * *

Of course, Lucy had no such luck. About an hour later, the heavens opened, and within ten seconds, they were all soaked through, except Mariana, who's face was flushed, and was biting her lip, completely dry. The blonde could hear Happy's stomach rumble, quickly followed by Natsu's. With a grin, Lucy called a rest, and summoned Virgo, who brought Lucy's backpack out from the spirit world.  
"So what do you want to eat, then?" She smiled, rummaging in her bag for the fish she had packed, instantly knowing their answers,  
"Fish!"  
"Fish!"  
Lucy threw the larger fish to Natsu, and the smaller one to Happy, who began to bite into it as soon as it entered his hands. Then Lucy passed the bag to Mariana and told her to pick what she wanted. With a shy nod, the brunette picked out a simple cheese sandwich and tucked in, a small smile on her face. Despite the rain, Lucy didn't feel cold any more, so she too dug into the bag and pulled out another sandwich.  
"Lucy," Natsu muttered from his space, a frown on his face.  
"Yeah?"  
"My fire still isn't working."  
"What do you mean?"  
"What do you think? I can't make anything."  
"I..." Lucy trailed off, unable to offer any advice or help. What _could _she do? She wasn't a master on magic knowledge. She just knew how to summon spirits, not how to produce fire.  
"Hey Natsu," Mariana piped up, wiping away the crumbs that surrounded her mouth. "Can I ask why you're y'know... little?"  
"No you can't."  
Lucy sighed. "Just tell her Natsu. It's not like you can keep it secret, since nearly everyone else in Fiore knows."  
"Fine. The Magic Council got pissed at Fairy Tail again because we were being loud, and destroyed a bit more than normal, so they cursed me, Wendy and Gajeel to 'de-age' until the point in our lives when we were at 'our most vulnerable'."  
"So how's finding Igneel's gate key involved in this?"  
This time it was Lucy who spoke. "Well, me and Levy read that the only way to break the curse was to get the original casters to revoke it, or to find the cause of the trauma and stop it from hurting the victim any more. We both realised that Igneel ab- I mean, leaving suddenly was Natsu's 'trauma'. So Levy found out that the Dragons had been turned into celestial spirits for bringing dragon slaying magic back into the world, and the keys had been scattered all around the world. Igneel's was the only one in our continent, but since it was in Sin, everyone, including the S-Class's were reluctant to go get it."  
"Then why are you..."  
Lucy blushed. "Well... I kinda ran off to go get it myself when I found out that they were gonna leave Natsu like this."  
"Do they know you're gone?"  
"I hope not. If they do... I'm in a whole lot of trouble. More than when Natsu dragged me off on an S-Class quest not long after I joined Fairy Tail."  
"Hey! You agreed to go!"  
"Did not! Okay... maybe I did, but that's not the point."  
Mariana laughed. "You're crazy! The S-Class mages in your Guild were terrified to go out here, yet you, a newbie, practically, was the one to go out."  
"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment."  
"You've been around Natsu way too long." She spluttered, her ringlets bouncing. "I remember reading about his destruction and impulsiveness in the Weekly Sorcerer copies my mum kept from before the Tenroujima accident. And now... Lucy Heartfilia..."  
"Hey!"  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but-"  
By now, even Natsu was holding back laughter, but then his face dropped, and he stood. "We've gotta go. He's caught up to us."  
Quickly, Lucy summoned Virgo and sent her back into the spirit world with the backpack, and ran after the pair who sprinted off into the trees. Happy hung back with Lucy before picking her up with his tail and flying upwards over the canopy and allowing her to search for any of the mages. The Exceed flew low to the trees, accidentally scratching the female's bare legs against the tree branches that stuck upwards. They ignored the pounding rain and minor cuts, and flew onwards, now searching for their mystery chaser as well as their allies.  
"Lucy? Natsu?" Mariana's scared voice echoed in the blonde's ears.  
Then Natsu began to yell. "Luce, Happy? Mariana?"  
Happy grinned behind Lucy's head. "Natsu!"  
"Happy! Where are you? Where's Lucy?"  
"She's with me! Where are you?"  
"I don't know."  
Lucy clicked her fingers suddenly. The map! She grabbed the parchment from her belt loop and unrolled it against the wind, tracking the red dot which blinked every second. "Happy, I found him!"  
"Where is he?"  
"He's going to run into the river bank soon. Natsu!" Lucy yelled his name in hopes that he would hear her as well.  
"Luce!"  
"You're gonna run into the river soon. Just keep running alongside it, okay? We'll meet up at it's source."  
"Got it!"  
Then Lucy returned her attention to the map and scanned for Mariana's blue marker. When she found it, it was dead still, no blinking, no moving, and a sense of dread filled her.  
"Mariana!" She called, desperate, hoping she would be heard.  
"Lucy?" A trembling yell came from somewhere below her.  
"Thank Mavis." She sighed before nodding. "Are you okay?"  
"No. I'm scared."  
"What's happened?"  
"There's wolves."  
"Attack them, you're an S-Class mage right? You can do it!"  
"I've tried! Someone's controlling them. No matter what I do, they just reform and attack me again. _OW!"  
_"Mariana, I'm coming.!" The blonde turned her head to Happy. "Use the Map and find Natsu, okay? I'm going to go help Mariana."  
"Are you sure, Lucy?" Happy frowned, shaking his head and a fruitless attempt at trying to dry himself.  
"Yeah, just drop me."  
"No."  
"Do it!"  
Happy looked away and loosened his grip around her waist. Quickly, Lucy shoved the map – which seemed unaffected by the rain – into his paws, and as the pressure around her waist disappeared, she whipped out Aries's key.  
"Aries!" She cried as the spirit appeared beside her, her purple eyes wide.  
"Y-yes mistress?" The spirit stuttered questioningly before holding her arms out below her. "Wool bomb!"  
Instantly, a cloud of soft pink wool appeared on the ground just before Lucy and Aries collided with it. They landed in the fluff, and with a thank you, Lucy dismissed the spirit before climbing out of the pillow and running off to find Mariana.  
"Mariana. Where are you?" She yelled, shielding her eyes from the rain that still fell beneath the trees.  
"Lucy? Lucy is that you?" The brunette yelled, and Lucy immediately followed the sound of her voice, which was close.  
"Of course it is!"  
"I'm over here, follow my voice!"  
Finally, she found herself in a clearing, where Mariana was back up against a tree, her shirt, detached sleeves and boots torn almost beyond repair. Blood trickled down her face and her bare shoulders were bleeding furiously. The skin on her legs was shredded, and the guild mark on her thigh was beyond recognition.  
"Open, gate of the Lion, Loki!" Lucy cried, flinging Loki's key out in front of her. Instantly, the 'lion' appeared, bathed in golden light, and turned to Lucy.  
"What's the matter?"  
"Help her!" Lucy growled, pointing at the seriously injured girl across the clearing.  
With a nod, Loki ran towards the wolves, and began to batter them, but with every hit, they reformed, just like how Mariana had said. That's when it hit Lucy. She knew this magic – she had _fought _against this magic! It was Sherry's magic – Marionette. And that meant-  
"Where are you?" Lucy shouted, her eyes scanning around for the caster.  
She heard a crunching noise from the left of her, and starting running towards it. "Loki, keep protecting her, okay? I'm going to go find the person casting the spell."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Of course, just stay here."

"Where are you?" Lucy hissed under her breath, her hand grabbing the handle of her whip tightly.  
A light sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead. She didn't know how long she had had Loki out, but it was having it's effect on her for sure. She was certain the wizard she was hunting was here, but exactly? She had no clue. It was always approximate knowledge when it came to her, it seemed. Still, she plunged onwards, her free hand fishing the vines that got in her way away from her. Then she heard another crack. Instantly, she brought her whip upwards, and flicked it outwards, the 'river of stars' flowing from the handle and wrapping around the 'doll' that had formed behind the celestial mage. She tugged backwards, and the whip tore through the vine sculpture, but almost instantly, they reformed and fused together.  
A light voice echoed in Lucy's mind, not actually being spoken. "Where are you?"  
"I could ask you the same." She thought, turning back around and scanning her surroundings, ignoring the vine beast as it reformed.  
"Where are you?"  
Lucy scowled, and lashed out again, tearing the puppet to shreds. "You just asked that."  
"Where are you?"  
"Where are you?"  
"Where are you?"  
"Where are-"  
Lucy screamed, dropping her whip in agony and falling to her knees, clutching her head desperately. What was happening? Why was she-  
"You?"  
Lucy looked up through her tear clumped eyelashes to see a short figure leaning over her. Even through her pain she noticed it's sagging breasts and cringed.  
The voice came again, booming in her mind and making her gasp in pain."Where are you?"  
"Why do you keep saying the same thing?" She gasped, tightening her hold on her head.  
"Why do you keep saying the same thing?" It repeated.  
"Are you- copying me?"  
"Copying me." It, or she, confirmed, nodding.  
"Why?"  
She shrugged.  
Lucy shakily got to her feet. "Who _are_ you?"  
Then the person began to glow. When the light faded, Lucy stood before Lucy, her usual sweet smile replaced by one of hatred and loathing.  
"_You." _  
Lucy screamed, and the Other Lucy laughed, a sound full of malice, before lashing out and hitting the back of her hand across Lucy's cheek. "You."  
"Stop repeating me!" Lucy screamed, pushing herself back up, and holding her arm over her face to protect herself form any future attacks.  
"Stop _me_"  
Lucy clenched her eyes shut for a second and whispered an apology. "Mariana, I'm sorry. Loki, forced gate closure."  
Almost instantly, she felt the relief rush through her as the constant drain of her magic disappeared. But the relief vanished soon after as she felt a sharp flow of water wrap around her leg and pull her around, her shirt riding up embarrassingly and her bare back scraping along the sharp twigged ground. With a loud scream, she twisted her way out of her whips hold and stood shakily, her leg and back bleeding slightly. Somewhere along the lines, she had lost her _original _whip, so as the Other Lucy came racing towards her, she dived out of the way and kept her eyes flicking to the ground in search of it, her hand inching its way to her belt.  
"Open, gate of the archer, Sagittarius!" She chanted as she managed to free the Centaur's golden key.  
"Sagittarius?"  
"Hello, Miss Lucy, what do you need of me?" The half-horse asked as he appeared, his bow at the ready.  
"Fire at her," She demanded, quite desperate, pointing at her carbon copy. "But don't kill her!"  
The Centaur nodded and strung his bow, aiming at the other blonde "As you wish, moshi moshi."  
Then, the other girl held her arm out and pointed between the spirit and Lucy. "Kill _her_."  
Just as he let go of the bowstring, Sagittarius whipped around and shot at Lucy, piercing her shoulder with his arrow, apologising profusely. The other female cursed, and Lucy felt the arrow shatter her collarbone, eliciting a high-pitched scream from her. She fell to her bum, and clutched her shoulder pitifully.  
"Please, " She bit back a painful sob. "Go."  
He nodded, his face completely apologetic. "It would be my pleasure, Miss Lucy, moshi moshi."  
"Miss Lucy~" Her teasing voice rang through the trees.  
"Don't call me that. Who are you? You must have a name."  
"Have a name."  
"What is it?"  
This time, a different voice, a cheerful, mocking tone, sounded as its owner stepped through the trees. "Well, you won't live to tell anyone else so-"  
"You won't live!"  
"E-_nough_, Akemi Echo. Now you know her name, do you wish to know mine? It will send shivers down your spine."  
Lucy ground her teeth, a short breath winding through them, "If you must."  
The other figure sashayed over, her hips rocking from side to side seductively. As the reached Lucy, she bent downwards and flicked her long, mint green hair over her shoulder. "Sakura Homura. The flowering flame. Though you may me Homura-dono in your final moments."  
"Never." She spat.  
The other female didn't look at all offended. Instead, she smirked, and pulled her arm backwards, summoning sharpened rocks to her fingertips. "As you wish."  
As she swung her arm, Lucy yanked the arrow from her shoulder, trying in vain to ignore the excruciating pain, and sliced the tip across her foe's fresh face. Instantly, she screamed, blood flowing freely from just above her right eye, her hands clutching the other, the blood seeping through her fingers and down her arm. Had Lucy really just-  
"You, _bitch!_" Sakura snarled, removing her bloodied hands and wrapping them around Lucy's throat, blocking off her airway. Despite this she still noticed the deep cut through her enemy's green eye, and screamed. "I'm gonna kill you!"  
"_I'm _gonna kill you." Akemi growled from behind them. "_I'm! I'm!_"  
"Fine." Sakura spat – quite literally – in Lucy's blue face, and released her death grip. "But make it painful – both physically, mentally and emotionally."  
The other blonde – Akemi, Lucy reminded herself to call her - smirked maliciously and nodded enthusiastically. "Make it painful."  
She clapped her hands in front of her and held them to her head, the black magic circles almost engraved into her blonde hair. Then, she was bathed in the golden light once more, and her shadow began to change form. When the light faded, Lucy gasped, finally allowing the tears that she had been holding back since being shot, to flow down her cheeks. Akemi had taken on Natsu's usual form, and guessing from what she had done with Lucy, she also had full control of his magic. With a deadly smirk – a sight that Lucy knew that if she survived this, would be engraved in her mind forever – the faux-Natsu held out his arm, a beam of fire flew towards the blonde and grabbed her, lifting her up above the tree line as she was burnt. She continued to scream, all other available options long gone, and hoped that someone – _anyone _would hear her and come help her.  
Then, just when Lucy felt like all hope was gone, and she was going to die, a single beam of light entered her darkness, and Mariana's voice filled her ears. "Lucy!"  
She sobbed in relief, her skin red and dangerously burnt. "_Mariana!_"  
Below her, her brunette friend skidded into the small clearing, her clothes somehow fixed, her injuries still there, but healing. She took one look at the scene before growling. "What is he doing?"  
Lucy shook her head, sobbing. "It's not him, it's not him!"  
"Then what-"  
"Please!"  
"Fine."  
She clapped her hands together, and her body began to ripple. Almost instantly, her form liquidized, and the only thing that remained its human colour was her golden eyes, which let off two beams of a harsh light. One by one, scales began to dot her face, and her ears elongated, until they resembled elf-like, fish fins. Then, jagged, scaled sheets of skin sprouted from her bare arms and legs, again matching those of a fish, or of sea monsters.  
Or more rather, a water _dragon_.  
When her body returned to skin and bone, the adjustments stayed, and she raised her eyes to the sky, past Lucy, before returning her glare to her enemies.  
Sakura fell backwards at the sight, clutching both of her eyes. "What are you? You're not human!"  
"No, I'm not. I'm the daughter of the water dragon, Rivaira." She growled, a primal sound which reverberated through Lucy's entire being. The brunette then held her arms out at her sides. "Rivaira, lend me your strength: Water Dragon's Ultimate Art: Luna Marina Explosion!"  
As she finished her spell, havoc was unleashed. The ground exploded, the trees shattered and sent shrapnel zipping everywhere. Blades of grass ejected shots of liquid, leaves burst, and flowers acted like bombs. Raindrops felt like bullets. Anything that contained water spontaneously erupted. And that included people. Lucy shielded herself as blood flew everywhere, and body parts scattered themselves wherever they sat fit – even a finger tip bounced grotesquely against her forehead! Lucy was on the ground shaking, bruised from her fall, when Mariana finally came to her senses and cradled the sore girl in her arms.  
"I- I'll do what I can, okay? You're gonna be fine. Just, hang in there." She whispered, her entire being trembling.  
"Wha- what was that?" Lucy croaked, her throat dry and in agony. It was an understatement to say that it felt like she was on fire.  
"I'm sorry."  
"You-"  
"I killed them. I cut them up beyond recognition. I'm a murderer. But it wouldn't be the first time." She was sobbing uncontrollably now, sat away from Lucy and sat in the foetal position as she screamed. "I'm not human. I take people's lives like they mean nothing. I'm not human. I'm a monster. I'm not human. I-"  
"You saved me."  
"Not in time! And I did nothing! You were the one who distracted that caster before his wolves killed me and your spirit."  
"Mariana, please stop crying, you had to do it. It's unfair to you, I know, a child shouldn't be burdened with your burdens. And how did you do that spell?"  
"I can only do it at night, when the moon is at it's peak. The moon enhances my power, just like another dragon slayer eating it's element. And that's what makes me a monster. I'm no better than a werewolf – at least they're not real. My nightmare's never ending."  
"_Lucy!_"


End file.
